《A Queen of Ruins》


 Chapter 1

    King Kellaran POV:


    I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve gotten myself into this situation. Seven heirs, each of royal blood, and all are immature and inept. Two would become tyrants, two would be decadent, one bends easier than melted iron, another is locked away in his studies to become a priest, and the final one is only thirteen years old. None are valid choices,


    And yet, I¡¯m forced to pick one, as my time as king will soon be over. I will be dying soon, only a few months are guaranteed. How the hell am I supposed to chose? All my available choices are fools and I would rather die than let one on my throne, the only problem being that me dieing would mean they get the throne. Oh God, what am I to do? I turn to my bedside guard, a stout man who bears the blood of the Stone-Kin, as well as the North-Kin.


    ¡°Tychus, get me Tor. I need to talk to him.¡± King


    Tychus nods, stern faced as usual. He makes his way out of the lavish and impractical room that has always felt more a prison than a bedroom. Scratch that, everything here feels like a prison.


    I wait in silence while musing to myself about what that girl was going to do to me once she found out. I can still remember how happy she was the instant I told her she could leave the capital and politics behind. Oh God she will be trying to kill me the instant I tell her that I¡¯m pulling her back into this game. The sad thing was, she was always so perfect as a successor. She had no arrogance, she would hold even the most esteemed nobleman''s words with a grain of sand. But her most qualifying trait, was her ability to act. She always pretended to be a witless, clumsy little serving girl, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. A few days before she left, she gave me a list that held the names of every corrupt official and noblemen that she had ever served for more than a few days. She made people think she was useless, so that she could get at every weakness the nobles left undefended. I was literally about to cry with how happy I was at the new development, made reforming my capital all the easier, though the rest of the nation was something I understood was a feat unattainable for someone such as I.


    She just hated it, the political game, which I suppose I should be happy for. People who fall in love with the game often become its greatest evils; but those who hate it strangely enough become the greatest threats to the game itself. Who knows, maybe one day, she¡¯ll break the board. Though I must wonder a single question,


    ¡°What is my beloved daughter up to now, I wonder? Hopefully she didn¡¯t go through with that particular¡­ aspiration, of hers.¡± King


    But who am I kidding at this point, my daughter always was a bit of a tomboy. Too much like her mother, acted like a full blown Beast-Kin, despite only being half Low-Beast-Kin, with some Plains-Kin and Wood-Kin blood. Hopefully she tried to become an archeologist and find relics from the time of the Metal-Kin and Eldar-Kin, she was always so fascinated with them.


    Ah hell. Cecilia¡¯s probably hunting down bandits, isn¡¯t she?


    *********************


    My ear starts twitching again, I really need to get it looked at. Though, and believe me I¡¯m not some crazy¡­ damnit, what¡¯s the word again? Anyways, not crazy, but whenever my ears twitch like this, somehow a big decision is made concerning me.


    ¡°GRAAH!!¡± Orc


    I dodge another one of the Orc¡¯s sloppy sword smacks. He¡¯s using a Ranger¡¯s Bastard Sword like a club, which is why orcs have a tendency to stick with blunt weapons. Guess it¡¯s tough, losing to rage that easy. I¡¯d feel bad for him *swish* IF HE WASN¡¯T TRYING TO KILL ME!!


    I duck under the horizontal slash and use the opening to run him through with my sabre. Nimbleness trumps strength, as my mentor liked to say. I was lucky in this case that the Orc was wearing just a pile of animal skins that were thrown together. Their natural armor is tough as Erkin leather, but on the sternum is a small gap in the muscles, causing a natural tension that is very vulnerable to pointed objects, which is why most where metal plates over that piece of skin, but this Orc was an idiot. Probably thought that he was invincible after going after a few civilians who didn¡¯t know the trick, or couldn¡¯t use it.


    Though I can¡¯t get too distracted, a collapsed lung won¡¯t kill him immediately, he¡¯s still got a few moments with which to get vengeance.


    I pick up my left foot and get some footing on his abs, immediately using it to jump off of him, not missing a beat from when I ran him through. He clips my side with the blade of the Bastard Sword, but otherwise doesn¡¯t hit me much. The swing sends me off balance, and I plummet into a nearby tree. Thankfully, though, still outside of the Orcs immediate range, meaning he can¡¯t get to me. He staggers back , gasping for air before collapsing as he vomits out a steady stream of blood, finally dying after a minute of pained writhing before life finally left him. I must have scraped his spine, somehow. Don''t get me wrong, I''m not complaining. It''s always nice to accidently hit your enemies greatest weakness, though I will have to remember that their spines are easier to hit than most people make it sound lilke. They probably have less bone coverage on the front side of their bodies.


    I¡¯m clutching my side, I pull out a healing poultice from my bag. Damn things are hard to come by, but the cut smells like shit, which means it¡¯s hit my intestines. The pain is numbed right now, due to the battle rush, but soon it¡¯s going to wear off and I¡¯ll no doubt be having quite a time. I have a pretty good pain tolerance, so the wound alone wouldn¡¯t get to me. No. It¡¯s the poultice I gotta worry about.


    The poultice is one of those high effectivity ones, not the comforting ones that the nobles use. I can¡¯t get my hands on the soothing ones. Too pricy. Nope, I got the ones that heal like a flash, and hurt like hell, application and effect. They don¡¯t use your latent lifeforce like the ones people think are good, so I don¡¯t have to worry about taking years off my life. Met one poor schmuck of a warrior, looked older than my uncle despite being half the age. My bosses are still trying to find out who flooded the market with them, but it hasn¡¯t helped stop them.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    I pull off my shirt and cuirass, realizing right after that I didn¡¯t actually check the area for bandits or animals. Then again, this area was guarded by a Roving Orc, so animals should know better and bandits are all dead.


    ¡°Hooo, hooo, this is gonna hurt like-- ARnnn!¡± Me


    Sticking your hand into an open wound, feeling around your insides, then having to repeat this process is a very, very painful idea. I try to keep my curses quiet, but somehow it lessens the effect a loud one would have. Oh well, should work on that battle trance the older Rangers talk about so often. Separating myself from my body, eh? Wonderful advice, never heard anything better. Who knows, they probably have the mindset of ¡°I actually know something for once, so let¡¯s try pretending to be sages while we get drunk as hell!¡± I know that¡¯s what I would do. Well, the screwing with the greenhorns would be fun.


    Anyways¡­


    I apply the last of the poultice over the skin I was just having my way with, gritting my teeth at the pain. My knowledge of alchemy is fairly basic, I focus more on the best ingredients needed, not the reagents themselves. However, I understand the theory; friends with the alchemist who taught me the recipe, guy could turn tree leaves into a paralytic potion. Well, he used weeds, but that¡¯s beside the point.


    Back to the theory. He explained that the ingredients mesh with your body, creating a sort of knock off version of the preexisting flesh so that your body can heal over it quicker, preventing a great deal of tearing that results from even the slightest movements. It isn¡¯t as durable as actual flesh, but it stops bleeding and allows for bodily functions to proceed normally.


    I pull out a length of bandage from the other pocket, just to find that it was ruined by the blood. Putting this on is just asking for the rot. I sigh, I only have one other length of bandage on hand, the covering for my breasts. God damnit. Well, gonna have to deal with people thinking I¡¯m one of those noble women adventurers who are trying to look cool for their friends.


    Sluts, basically. They look like sluts.


    They wear impractical, form fitting, stylish leather garb with glamourous hoods, at least when they start. By the end of the day, they¡¯re wearing ruffed up, torn, unglamorous armor, that was still form fitting to their, usually, padded chests.


    My armor had a hood built in, was torn up, definitely didn¡¯t look nice, and my chest didn¡¯t need padding to get big enough to make my armor tight. I had to start putting on bandages so that I wouldn¡¯t have to constantly get my armor refitted, or even new armor all together. Costs too much coin, and I only have so much to spare on constantly having my armor reworked.


    I quickly undo the bandage, feeling very relieved to not have my breasts so cramped up. I could do without the size though, they screw with my balance, and goodness do they give me back pains. I¡¯m not even fully grown yet and they¡¯re almost as big as the inn keeper¡¯s at the inn, the bitch. I honestly hate those fucking High-Beast-Kin. They act like normal people around most, a little bit of classism despite most''s economic capabilities, but once they see a person with relations to Low-Beast-Kin, they get all high and mighty. The one at the inn, a Cow-Kin, told me I had to sleep in the tool shed for twice the price of her most expensive room. I was lucky that a group of other Rangers threatened to leave the inn and blacklist it if she didn¡¯t give me normal rates.


    Say what you will about us Rangers, but we sure as hell look after one another. Plus no Innkeeper would willingly let themselves get blacklisted by the Ranger¡¯s Pact, that¡¯s essentially a death sentence given our nomadic nature and good name. It¡¯s actually worse than pissing off the Adventurer¡¯s Guild of Mercenaries, seeing how hard it was to get blacklisted by the Pact; we took our jobs very seriously, unlike Guild Adventurers, and as such won¡¯t stand for innkeepers who hold our race above our profession.


    It took some doing to just get my shirt back on, after that I had to spend way too much time on straps for my cuirass. Still don¡¯t know why other women like to take so damn long with their clothing, or their hair, or just about all of it really. Anyways, this walk is going to be really annoying, in every manner I can think of. Racially annoying, physically annoying, genderlingly annoying, and sexually annoying. Goddamnit.


    I slowly start on my way to the village before realising I never grabbed my sabre, or my trophy. I shuffle my way over to the sabre, wincing a little as I realize it¡¯s slightly bent. It wasn¡¯t the best sword out there, so it probably bent on it¡¯s little journey inside of the Orc. Sabres aren¡¯t the most durable weapons in the world, everyone is always telling me to stop using them, too weak for puncturing attacks. Maybe I should try one of those Sea-Kin blades. Nice curve to it and still strong. Then again, sheathing those things is an absolute nightmare.


    I prefer my weapons curved, if you wanted to know. It helps with slashing attacks, much better with a curved weapon than a straight one. I place the sabre down next to the body of the orc. After that, I take out a hunting knife, grab one of the Orc¡¯s tusks, and start cutting at his throat. I first cut the arteries to make sure that the blood pressure won¡¯t cause me to get drenched. Again. After making sure that nothings going to get on me, I start cutting. My blade makes several wet noises as it takes some difficulty going through the Adam¡¯s apple and the other bones in the Orc¡¯s neck. Orcs have larger neck bones, it prevents someone from strangling them or snapping their necks. Pretty effective, and also annoying as hell.


    Eventually I break through them with a loud chunk sound, then grumbling to myself because now I have to go through it¡¯s spine. I feel around with my knife, looking for a weak point to pry the spine open with. After a few minutes I finally find it, cutting through a small amount of bone and flesh, finally freeing the head from it¡¯s body. I find myself panting, pain and exhaustion making for bad work companions.


    Hmph, if dad could see me now. He¡¯d probably ask what I did with the maid uniform. He always said he thought I was cute wearing it.


    I stumble my way right back onto the main road, and am surprised by what I see. I recognize one of them being a Ranger Captain, the people in charge of low ranking members of the pact, like myself. Him being here, waiting for me, must mean I picked up my ranking bounty. They way members of the pact rank up, unlike Guild members, is that Captains watch over the Standing Rangers under them. I am a Standing Ranger, essentially meaning that I can only get jobs in his lands and he has to approve them. Ranking up is handled only at the behest of the Captain, so a newbie can become a Captain as long as the higher ups authorize it.


    Rank up missions, happen when a Captain gives you a quest ranking higher than yourself, meaning that they will test your capabilities against opponents outside of your presumed capability. If you win, you rank up, if not, the captain has to step in and save your sorry ass.


    Most Captains are very straightforward professionals who act with respect.


    My Captain is not most Captains.


    He smirks as he sees me, opening his arms as if to hug me as he bellows his usual greeting out.


    ¡°Moon Cow! You¡¯ve come back to me! And with such gifts for the eyes as well!¡± Perverted Captain Y¡¯sar


    I was tempted, as per usual, to try and kill him, but that would not end well. Y¡¯sar was a Wood-Kin, the most long lived and dextrous of the races. Y¡¯sar was also a practitioner of one of the more annoying martial paths, provocation. There are five martial paths, provocation, ferocity, repentance, blindness, and swiftness. Very simple names, in comparison to the names used by the other nations beyond our own, but that is one of the things that makes us people of Eria; simple but effective.


    Y¡¯sar is at the point in provocation and repentance that losing your composure even once is a death sentence. Repentance correlating to attacking in response to another; the path focusing heavily on defensive techniques, counterattacking a religious necessity for its practitioners..


    I sigh at the antics of my Captain, then look questioningly at the man to his left. He looks to be a knight, bearing the mark of the academy, a hawk. Above the symbol of the hawk is a¡­ fuck that¡¯s the royal stag! Why did my father send him here?!


    Wait, wait, don¡¯t panic Cecil, father would never send me back, he promised. The only reason he would ask me back is if my siblings--


    ¡°Sir, I will warn you only because of your position, but please don¡¯t speak to the crown princess in such a way.¡± Royal Knight


    ¡°SON OF A BITCH!!¡± Cecilia

 Chapter 2

    Both look at me rather startled. I¡¯m simply livid. Why the hell do my siblings have to be so fucking worthless! Trevor can¡¯t leed, Riker can¡¯t think, Talia can¡¯t stop making boy-toys, and the rest are either meek or as cruel as the first three.


    ¡°WHY COULDN¡¯T THOSE BASTARDS JUST STOW THEIR COLLECTIVE SHIT, AND NOT. FORCE. THE ACTUAL. BASTARD. TO CLEAN UP AFTER THEM!!!¡± Cecilia


    I¡¯m gripping the Knight¡¯s collar and shaking my fist at him. I don¡¯t even know how I got him into this position. I feel a firm hand grasp my shoulder rather forcefully.


    ¡°WHAT!!¡± Cecilia


    It was Y¡¯sar, and only now do I realize that I¡¯m holding my bent up sabre. I look at it in horror, I¡¯ve never had an episode this bad before. Whenever it comes to my¡­ siblings, I can¡¯t help but have one of these episodes. That damn capital left me with some issues, serious issues.


    ¡°The king told me you might react this way but¡­ my apologies. I beg your forgiveness.¡± Knight


    Oh God Damnit, why does he have to be so nice about it? I manage to squeak out a reply to the overly good natured knight.


    ¡°N-no I should be the one to apologize.¡± Cecilia


    He goes to retort before Y¡¯sar interrupts him.


    ¡°Just accept it, she can go for ages when it comes to being more sorry than the other party. Though, I would think that having her straddle you is apology enough.¡± Y¡¯sar


    I feel a slight flush as I shoot up immediately and end up several meters away in the blink of an eye. I can see that the knight isn¡¯t in a joking mood, and is actually glaring at Y¡¯sar. Y¡¯sar simply looks at him with his usual, knowing and mischievous expression, somehow it makes his eyes look like they¡¯re smiling.


    Looks like he¡¯s testing the limits of the fresh meat. People like Y¡¯sar are constantly feeling out people who they aren¡¯t familiar with. It¡¯s sort of a subconscious habit of provocateurs, finding out just how to make their opponents lose control. For most other types of fighting, they simply needed to follow their opponents movements, but for provocateurs, they relied on their opponent being out of balance, erratic; commanding their opponent on when to strike and when to calm down, taking control of the opponent to feel it¡¯s flow. Needless to say, he¡¯s one who is very used to fighting opponents that should be far out of his league, and winning.


    The Knight soon sighs in a dejected manner and begins speaking again.


    ¡°Well, I see that you understand the situation milady. Do you have any possessions that we must retrieve? I must confess that the king couldn¡¯t apply much manpower for fear of the noblemen catching wind and taking you hostage.¡± Knight


    I inwardly groan as I begin to realize that nobles are now a much larger problem for me again, the worse thing is that I can¡¯t pretend to be just a maid anymore. Then again, probably don¡¯t want to pretend to be a maid anymore now that i¡¯ve¡­ grown up, a little. You¡¯d be surprised by how many bastards there really are in the world. Honestly, at this point, the whole ¡°I have noble blood and you don¡¯t!¡± argument is actually meaningless. As long as there are pretty servant girls and handsome servant men, there will always be a few bastard nobles not far behind. In fact, I attribute the large amount of mixed races being partly caused by this, aside from the obvious couples you see in most villages and cities.


    They always piss people off with how lovey-dovey they are at all times of the day.


    Thankfully bastards have gotten much rarer since my father took the throne, apparently, barring my own existence. My mother explained to me the real situation, apparently the two of them were lovers back when dad didn¡¯t have any chance whatsoever of becoming king. I showed up a few years after Talia, the former crown princess.


    And according to the new laws in place, I don¡¯t have to worry about getting into a situation like my fathers. Marrying someone I hate, that is, even if they aren¡¯t of noble blood.


    Even if I did find a man, that is. Mixed races have a slight stigma unfortunately.


    Anyways, should probably start talking again.


    ¡°*sigh*, yup. It¡¯s the Golden Bull Inn, back in Felba.¡± Cecilia


    ¡°Really? How have they treated you? I¡¯ve been getting some red listing requests for that village.¡± Y¡¯sar


    ¡°The villagers weren¡¯t that bad, kept to themselves. The Innkeeper though, she was a piece of work. Real nasty case of High-Beast superiority. I would at least redlist her. Bitch charged me a silver sparrow for her tool shed. Didn¡¯t let up until a squad of Rangers threatened to have her blacklisted, at which point she was still giving me a questionable deal.¡± Cecilia


    ¡°Hmm. Yeah, definitely red listed. I¡¯ll call the horses then, don¡¯t want any of my men to get screwed over by some bitchy supremacist.¡± Y¡¯sar


    That catches me by surprise. Horses cost a fucking mint Eria, they aren¡¯t native to this land. Only the nobility have horses, everyone else has to either walk, hitch a ride on a yak cart, or ride a Cattian Elk. Cattian Elk are just very large Elk that are similar to a normal Elk, except that they are domesticated and trained to be ridden like a horse; they are just a bitch to ride seeing how they abound everywhere, and can¡¯t carry all too much weight.


    Then I realize that I¡¯m the heir to Eria again, gonna have to get used to riding horses. And being seen with horses.


    And being seen by everyone.


    I¡¯m not even all that charismatic.


    Hahh~, the only good thing I can see so far is getting to torment Talia and the terrible twosome for once.


    Not long later a trio of horses are here, led by Y¡¯sar on his very own horse. Captains get a certain amount of perks regarding transportation, comes with being a high ranking member of the pact who is willing to babysit the recruits. Two are brown and the other is white, and slightly more slender than the other two. I think the white one is a female while the others are male, but I don¡¯t know horses all that well. They could be unisex and I would have to trust you.


    The Knight mounts the other brown horse, and I am left to try and mount the white one. I go to put my foot in the stirrup, but the damn horse just scoots away, I look at it¡¯s face with a raised eyebrow, and I catch a glimpse of defiance and pride in the damn horse¡¯s eye.


    I know what this damn horse is thinking, it¡¯s probably got an ego trip about it. The damn thing is like a noble, so all I need to do is teach it it¡¯s place. Better start now instead of letting it think it has a place to do this sort of thing. I grab the horse''s reins and, rather violently, pull it¡¯s eyes down to my level. It seems rather shocked at the rough action, meaning this creature is used to be pampered. It goes to raise it¡¯s head and break away, but stops as it makes eye contact. There is only one emotion I can make out from it, fear. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    This horse is a coward.


    I keep the eye contact for a little while, making certain that the horse gets the idea. After a few minutes, I let the reins go, place my foot firmly in the stirrup, and hoist myself onto the beast. It takes me a moment to find a comfortable sitting position, but once I do, I look up to see a smirking Y¡¯sar and Knight, whose name I have yet to learn.


    Knight grumbles something about cheating as he tosses a money purse towards Y¡¯sar. I quirk an eyebrow at this. Firstly, I seem to be missing something here, secondly, every knight I¡¯ve met so far has been a stiff; both have a single question, why were they gambling?


    Y¡¯sar seems to understand my question before I even say it.


    ¡°The white mare your riding is the pet of Princess Talia, and the only mare of the king''s steed. It has never allowed anyone to ride it, not even Talia, but she persists and believes that pampering it and inflating the things ego will make it love her. She doesn¡¯t even feed it to show that she¡¯s the source of it¡¯s good lifestyle. Right now she¡¯s at a ball on the other side of Eria, so she has no idea that the mare is gone. No one''s ridden the mare yet, so you have the right to name her.¡± Y¡¯sar


    I grin at the thought of being the one to steal Talia¡¯s toys. She was always such a greedy and possessive child, taking from me anything I might have a liking for. Now I just stole away one of her projects, that she has been doing for months at least, in a matter of seconds.


    She was definitely going to have a fit over this.


    ¡°For now, she will be Sigara.¡± Cecilia


    Y¡¯sar snorts in amusement when he hears me say the name; while Sigara lowers it¡¯s head even further in shame, as if it understood the meaning of my words. The knight, who I still haven¡¯t been properly introduced to yet, simply quirks an eyebrow at the seemingly inside joke. Y¡¯sar begins to explain while I get Sigara to start down the road. It¡¯s strangely similar to riding an Elk, probably an effect of domestication.


    ¡°Cecilia here has a passion for learning about the Eldar-Kin, so she has picked up as much of their language as she could. Sigara, as far as we know, means something akin to ¡®worthless donkey.¡¯ So I suspect that the Princess Talia will be rather miffed about it.¡± Y¡¯sar


    Knight simply lets out a loud laugh from behind me.


    ¡°Are you kidding! The Princess broke tradition and started galavanting about saying that horse- I mean Sigara¡¯s name was Sirvina, apparently it meant graceful in ¡®High-Eldar-Kin,¡¯ as she called it.¡± Knight


    I grip the reins ever harder as my expression turns nasty. Talia was always too prideful to actually try and improve upon her understanding of the Eldar-Kin¡¯s tongue, so she decided to ruin their language through her consistent mispronunciations and poor grammar. She even had the gall to say it was a ¡®higher¡¯ and ¡®more advanced¡¯ form of their ¡®primitive¡¯ and ¡®pitiable¡¯ language.


    Sirvina is, hopefully, based on Seri, which means comely, she always got them mixed up somehow. There are many ways to get me annoyed, and people mistake that for me being angry. There are only a few ways to get me angry, and nobody who makes me angry once tries a second time; Y¡¯sar being a prime example.


    I hold a great amount of respect for the Eldar-Kin, so right now, I¡¯m at the border between annoyance and anger.


    ¡°Fucking bitch.¡± Cecilia


    Y¡¯sar notices and immediately changes the conversation. He does not want to see me angry again.


    ¡°By the way, I don¡¯t think Cyrus has introduced himself as of yet, have you?¡± Y¡¯sar


    I turn to look at Cyrus while Sigara slows her pace to match Cyrus¡¯s horse. Cyrus looks like he just realized something very important and coughs before introducing himself, going straight back to his uptight behaviour.


    ¡°Ahem, my apologies milady, but it would appear I have made a slight blunder. I am Cyrus, a knight originally in service to his royal majesty, but now have been assigned as the personal bodyguard of yourself for the time being. I have achieved the sixth rank of ferocity and the third of blindness. I will do everything within my power to prevent harm from coming down upon you.¡± Cyrus


    A fairly warrior-esque introduction. The path of blindness is essentially fighting multiple opponents at multiple angles, as well as fighting in no visibility environments. It was an immensely difficult path that started out as a simple augmentation of the path of repentance; however, a blind Low-Beast, whose breed has since then been, with resistance from themselves, forced into the ranks of the High-Beast, saw another way. He applied blindness to all of the paths, and in so doing, forged the fifth path.


    I know a bit about the fifth path, gotten up to the second rank, but those masters of blindness are such pains in the ass! They talk in riddles all the damn time and refuse to give straight answers!


    Oh well, enough of that.


    ¡°You already know me, as it would seem. So I suppo-- why is there a big crowd outside of the village?¡± Cecilia


    We¡¯re outside of the village right now and just exited the woods. Across the way, on the other side of the village, a large mass of people had gathered together. Quite obviously, something was happening. I wonder what it was.


    We traveled up a little farther until I could make out what was going on. Apparently it was one of those cliche send offs that a lot of village dreamers like to have. Everyone was waving, couples were resting heads on their partner''s shoulders, the works. I then heard the voice of my bitchy innkeeper.


    ¡°Go and make me proud daughter! Show those Rangers what you''re made of!¡± Innkeeper


    I then start feeling worried for some reason, and start riding a bit faster, raising my speed. The villagers had yet to notice us, so nobody saw that I was on a horse yet. I could, fortunately for me, see over the large mass of people to see someone wearing some oddly familiar. I then met eyes with the girl who was wearing my armor, and, despite smiling brightly just an instant ago, looked a little shocked; then she started running at a full sprint in the opposite direction, her large breasts flopping with every stride.


    I then realized what was going on.


    I urge my horse to start running at full speed as I get angry.


    Very angry.


    The horse brays a little in fear and the villagers part the way in a mix of awe, at seeing a horse, and terror, at nearly being run over by said horse. I hear the girl start screaming as I gain on her. It wouldn¡¯t take that long to trample her with Sigara, but that would ruin my only good set of equipment, along with my two backup sabres. So, I take my feet out of the stirrups, and place them on Sigara¡¯s shoulders? I¡¯ll need to find out what these are called later.


    Sigara seems to catch my meaning and stops abruptly while also ducking her head. It¡¯s wonderful the amount of these a master/servant bond between bestial existences can allow for simple instinctual communication.


    I launch forward with both the abrupt change in speed, aided by my own leaping at the moment Sigara stopped. I easily cross the distance between myself and the Dairy Cow. I grab her shoulders as I¡¯m about to soar over her, and in one fluid motion, grab her shoulders, lift her up, use her weight to stop my flight while firmly continue to raise her; I then plant my foot firmly onto the ground, still swinging her through the air, and crash her onto the ground in front of me. Hearing the beautiful sound of the a few of the thief¡¯s bones cracking, I start to slowly rouse from my cold rage.


    Oh boy, I had another episode, shit. Again, my head¡¯s screwed to all hell, don¡¯t judge me. Well off thieves are one of the few things that anger me, mix that with bigots who think everything I have belongs to them because of some cosmic decree that I never agreed to also fit into that category.


    ¡°YOU UNGRATEFUL LOW-BEAST WHORE!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY DAUGHTER!!¡± Inkeeper


    ¡°GET YOUR HANDS OFF OUR VILLAGE¡¯S PRIDE SCUM!!¡± villager


    ¡° ¡° YEAH!!¡± ¡± Other villagers


    Did I mention this village was completely populated by High-Beasts? Well there you have it. A village filled with bigots and thieves.


    I sort of internalized all that rage from being appointed Heir Apparent, so let''s go and work that out a bit. I grab my two sabres, still in their sheathes, unlatch them from my belt, turn around, and smirk.


    It¡¯s not good to keep in stress, so like my mother always said, I¡¯m gonna let it all out.


    **************


    ¡°Oh, um, Cyrus, we should probably run.¡± Y¡¯sar


    I look to him in disbelief as Cecilia gracefully rises up, her hood loosening as her silver hair sways in the wind, before her face takes a smirk and a cruel glint passes over sky blue, slitted eyes. After hearing those villagers practically call out for her blood, I can¡¯t believe that he¡¯s telling me to run. These villagers are already committing high treason. Even if Cecilia hasn¡¯t been formerly declared as the new Queen, these villagers have already committed several crimes; not only have they undermined a direct agent of the King, a Ranger, they have also committed an act of discrimination, something found highly despicable by his majesty and the current nobility. They have also threatened the companion and charge of a Royal Knight, so they are already looking at the possibility of the death penalty.


    Our King is beloved by the public and commoners in general, but he is renowned for his heavy handed treatment of those who go against his reforms without proper justifications.


    ¡°What do you mean?! We have to help her!¡± Cecilia


    He then looks at me and I can notice a drop of sweat on his forehead.


    ¡°No boy, you¡¯re wrong, we need to run away from her. She will neither have need of us, nor want us in any proximity when she starts the beatdown. Don¡¯t worry, she won¡¯t kill anyone, thinks it¡¯s more deserving if they live with any serious injuries she inflicts on them. Us though, ho boy, I like my penis where it is, thank you.¡± Y¡¯sar


    He then has his horse start trotting in the other direction. I then look back at Cecilia, who now looks like one of the old goddesses of war as she hacks and slashes through a field of fleeing Beast-Kin, while at the same time not even caring to unsheath her blades. She then looks straight at me and all I feel is that I¡¯ve somehow walked into a wolf¡¯s den in nothing but my nethers and a spoon. God that was a weird nightmare, doesn¡¯t make it any less terrifying.


    I then follow the wisdom of the far more experienced warrior here, and turn around.


    I am honor bound to protect the princess, but no King has enough money in his coffers to pay me the amount of money I would need to get beaten up by her!


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    Spoiler:asdfhjlkjhsdfaj dsauhfkjsdahflkjquiwe fr <input class="spoilerButton" type="button" value="Show">

 Chapter 3

    I am standing before a trembling Innkeeper, ragged and hoarse breaths coming out of my mouth. I¡¯m sweating up a storm, and probably smell worse than that Orc I killed not too long ago¡­


    Why does it feel like I¡¯m forgetting something?


    She looks into my eyes, utter terror being the only thing in there. She then looks at my side and I swear she¡¯s about to start fainting, that or puking. She then starts speaking in a squeaky and fearful voice, none of her usual haughtiness present.


    ¡°W-wh-who d-d-did y-y-y-you k-k-k-kill?¡± Innkeeper


    I quirk an eyebrow and follow her gaze with my own, only then realizing that I¡¯m in a serious amount of pain. Remember what I said about that pseudo-flesh being frail in comparison to the real thing? Good, because it seems that I didn¡¯t.


    I realize that the strange warm feeling I¡¯ve been having for the last twenty minutes, ever since I started my little rampage, has been my blood leaking through my armor. I little of it is dripping out of the the cut in my armor, while the rest funnels its way through my trousers.


    ¡°Oh¡­ that¡¯s bad.¡± Cecilia


    Once those words leave my mouth, my battle rush simply gives out. I feel weak in the knees and my joints start trembling. My instincts are telling me to run, but I¡¯ve lost too much blood and feel too weak to move that much. My legs can¡¯t take the strain anymore and I fall flat on my back. I start gasping for air as the world around me starts to go black.


    As my mother said, great people don¡¯t die in great ways, if they died when it counted, they wouldn¡¯t be great. Great people die in the small ways, negligence being the usual way. Always in a small way, mostly brought about by themselves.


    I¡¯m gasping for air, my body telling me that my end may very well be near.


    Good God, this can¡¯t be it? Can it?


    No, not ending here. I haven¡¯t gotten everything this world owes me yet, and It¡¯s working up quite the interest. It took my childhood, my mother, my father¡¯s attention, my peace, and one hell of a lot of issues. Life owes me a fuck ton, and I intend to collect.


    Miss Inkeeper seems to have other plans, I realize, as she wrenches a sword from my hand. I barely make out the rasp of a blade leaving it¡¯s scabbard? I think the word is scabbard.


    Well fuck me.


    I think she¡¯s giving me a speech about how this is what I deserve or whatever. The arrogance is literally palpable, as I can barely even breath through it.


    Scratch that, I¡¯m just having a hard time breathing. I think she has a foot on my solar plexis, not that I¡¯d put it below her, this is her victory speech or whatever that heroes always give in those stories. Probably thinks she is one, a hero that is, come to kill the horrendous demon who beat the shit out of the villagers without even causing permanent damage.


    Well, obvious permanent damage.


    I, thankfully, still have a trick up my sleeve that she probably forgot all about.


    My tail.


    The little limb still has a good amount of power left in it, so I¡¯m able to get it to slither out of my pants. It was hidden for a good reason, I assure you. For Beast-Kin, High or Low, it is considered indecent to show your tail to anyone but family. But you wanna know something? Right now, decency can go and kiss the scaliest part of my ass. I would never do this in a normal situation, but even a mouse pulls out the stops if cornered.


    Slowly ever slowly, I grab one of the knives I keep specifically for situations like this from my belt, with the tail of course, and like lightning plunge it into the side of her calf. The benefit of having a little serpent blood, your tail is a lot more fine tuned than any of the other breeds, mix that with a little wolf blood and your tail is as effective as they come, only problem is that mine is a bit long and has the same flesh as the rest of my body, making it look very out of place in comparison to most Beast-Kin tails. I usually just keep it wrapped around my upper thigh.


    She screams in shock, and I feel her fall onto my legs. She continues screaming before her kicking stops and an eerie silence continues, filled only by my incessant gasps for air. I don¡¯t even know how I¡¯m still alive, but I don¡¯t give a damn at the moment. I still have some strength left in my tail, and have no idea if Cyrus and Y¡¯sar will get here in time, so I make the most of the strength I have left.


    I have one heal potion that is top quality stuff, got it as one of my mother¡¯s gifts that show up randomly throughout the years. Thing about mom was that she somehow always knew when something was going to happen, if I didn¡¯t know better, I would call her a seer. The real kind, the ones that lived in the time of the Eldar-Kin.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    But if that were true, then she wouldn¡¯t have been such a piss poor gambler.


    My tail feels it¡¯s way up the rough contours of my armor, twitching slightly every time it comes upon the seam between two sections of leather; yes, my tail is very sensitive, don¡¯t remind me. Eventually it manages to find the little metal canister I keep the potion in. With a little doing, I bring the canister to my lips, undo the cap, and drink everything to the last drop.


    These high quality remedies, that can be reduced to mere potions that don¡¯t require direct contact with the wound, are wonderful. However, they can¡¯t compare to the power of the healing remedies of the Metal-Kin. But that doesn¡¯t really matter at the moment.


    I can feel my flesh repairing itself as a hot feeling rushes through my entire body, making me realize how cold I just was. This wasn¡¯t happening instantaneously, though. I seem to have lost my sense of time in the euphoric bliss I find myself in. I can see why the nobility always have these on hand, they probably take them just for the euphoria.


    Maybe this is why all those noblemen had strange¡­. Preferences.


    Eventually I calm down and get up. I¡¯m actually rather amazed, the potion even managed to get rid of my sore muscles and I can feel a few scars start to dissolve. This is amazing! I wonder if can restore a girls virginity? That would explain why Talia¡¯s toys can¡¯t discern who actually took her virginity.


    I walk over to the now dead Innkeeper, prying her cold, dead hands off of my knife. Why am I so insensitive to the dead? Easy, I¡¯m a killer, blood is a normal thing when put on my hands, and I have seen people I like far more die in far less peaceful ways. If she were someone I didn¡¯t kill or someone I liked, I¡¯d most likely at least have the decency to close her eyes for her, but with these little shits I could care less.


    I then grab the sabre she took from me and sheath it back in it¡¯s scabbard, then reattaching it to my belt. I have some Plains-Kin style warrior belts, pouches, and scabbards, which makes it easier to customize the placement of my tools. Why people stick to those crappy, traditional Stone-Kin stuff is beyond me. The Stone-Kin are great at making things the Plains-kin come up with functional, so their resistance to fully merging with the rest of Eria never ceases to confuse me.


    Now, where the hell did Y¡¯sar hide this time? Then again, what''s his chivalry is with him this time, so he won¡¯t try and time how long it takes me to track him down again. I really need to get better at putting names to faces, or races names to everything for that matter. I can¡¯t even remember the simplest words at times, like supernatural and scabbard.


    Anyways, that idiot should show up in three¡­ two¡­ on--


    ¡°Moon cow~. Are you done relieving your stress and frustrations yet~?¡± Y¡¯sar


    Me and the headsmen are going to be very good friends once I get to the castle. Y¡¯sar trotted up on his horse, holding the reins to my own steed as¡­ damn, still can¡¯t remember his name! Anyways as the knight followed up not far behind, slightly annoyed by the looks of it.


    ¡°You do realize I could get you with the death penalty now that I¡¯m heir apparent, right?¡± Cecilia


    He just gives me a shiteating grin.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Y¡¯sar


    I let out an exasperated groan. This fucking Wood-Kin


    ¡°Alright then, let¡¯s get a move on. I don¡¯t want to waste whatever time dad has left by, well, wasting time. How long a distance is it by horse?¡± Cecilia


    Cyrus, hah! Remembered his name! Ahem, Cyrus looks upwards while he thinks about the distance before looking down at me a moment later. By then I had already gotten back on my bitch*cough*horse.


    ¡°Two days if we ride at full speed. Besides, these are the pride and joy of the Royal stables, as long as we slow down to a trot every once in awhile and make sure to feed them water and food regularly, they should be able to keep a constant pace. By the way, is that your blood, or the cow¡¯s?¡± Cyrus


    Hmm, much better than Cattian Elk, but then again, these are also royal breeds, fed the best potions and such from birth to guarantee solid growth. These types of potions aren¡¯t really fit for Kinnic consumption, something alchemists are still trying to understand.


    ¡°Cow, also, what do you think Sigara? Want to go for a little run?¡± Cecilia


    She just looks at me in horror and starts braying in a fearful manner, ohhh~! How cute~! She thinks she has a say~! I let my mental grin take place on my features and Sigara just gets a look of resignation in her eyes. At least she knows her place, animals are so much faster in that regard than the Kinnic races. Except for Cattian Elk, they are a little ditzy. I look up at my companions who seem to have a queer look in their eyes, making my grin only increase in size.


    ¡°She says yes.¡± Cecilia


    Y¡¯sar barks out a laugh and Cyrus sighs while tossing another sack of coins at Y¡¯sar. Seriously Cyrus, never bet against Y¡¯sar. Bastard has annoying amounts of luck. Also, why are you constantly betting? I get the feeling that this particular knight is a bit abnormal, in comparison to his peerage. Nobles tended to shy away from gambling, a few nations to the east falling due to such stupid reasons.


    So many questions, but hey, I¡¯ve got time to find the answers. Especially with my new rank.


    Come to think of it, I wonder how far dad¡¯s spy network has managed to spread since I left the palace? I haven¡¯t heard a word about it, so it has to be doing well. You only know if a group like that is good at their jobs if you can¡¯t prove anything about them; making them hard to find, also proving they are good at their jobs. Actually how a few non-contracted shadow guilds die out, nobody can hire them because nobody knows about them, because they are too good at their jobs.


    Y¡¯sar clicks his tongue twice, he does this whenever he wants the horse to start running. I eventually found out that it¡¯s his way of commanding his horse, clicking his tongue. Having special ways to command one¡¯s steed is quite common in practice, helps fuck with bandits. And if there¡¯s anything Erians love to do, it¡¯s leave behind tricks that fuck with our killers. Actually how Eria was first born, but that¡¯s a story for another day.


    Cyrus sets off after and just has a resigned expression on his face.


    I turn around to look at the village I may have just killed. Everyone was groaning and some had regained consciousness, looking at me in a cross between fear and awe. I hear a few telling me to come at them or something, probably just young males looking to impress a few women. Something I never understood with the High-Beasts, they could care less about breeding Low-Beasts, but then they treated their own children like shit. Also, polygamy, kinda disgusting in my opinion. They even share each other, which is even more disgusting, they only really care if their mate is cheating as long as if it¡¯s with a member of the same breed; again, adding to my disgust. Honestly, I went to one village where a bull was screwing the brains out of a wolf while her husband was in the next room, beating the shit of his half-bull son.


    Not that Low-Beast society doesn¡¯t have it¡¯s own flaws, we are very distrustful of anyone who isn¡¯t a Low-Beast, but we are loyal to a fault regarding our friends.


    ¡°Hey, Cecilia, you coming?!¡± Cyrus


    I turn around to see that Cyrus stopped not far down the road, Y¡¯sar a little farther down. I realize that I must have been sitting here for a bit longer than I intended.


    ¡°Crap, COMING!¡± Cecilia


    I then start galloping down towards them.


    I can only wonder how my time in the capital will go. Traditional High-Beasts annoy me greatly, but Nobles are something far, far more enraging to me.


    I am going to be good friends with the headsmen, I believe.

 Chapter 4

    Cecilia POV:


    ¡°Halt! Who goes there?¡± Guard


    Cyrus pulls up first, his horse still panting from being run ragged these past two days.


    ¡°I am Cyrus of the Royal Guard, I have here on business concerning his Royal Highness, the King. This is my seal.¡± Cyrus


    The guard looks at him bug eyed for a moment before running back at the gate and starts shouting to have it opened immediately. The gate itself is rather underused, not directly connected to the King¡¯s Highway, and leeding only through back alleys that, most people, think are full of dead ends. I know better, from having went this way back when I left the capital five years ago.


    God that brings back memories. I think that¡¯s when I first met Y¡¯sar as well, he was my bodyguard for as long as it took me to find a place in society; before I became his apprentice, that is.


    We trot through the gateway and start going through the dirt roded alleyway. It was a section right between the wall and a few houses, so some people dumped their refuse down here. Sigara doesn¡¯t seem to be very comfortable here, but that¡¯s not surprising, she hasn¡¯t had to be around shit infested holes before. This is an entirely unfamiliar environment for her, so anything would be a little startled at first.


    We keep going down our way, a few stray sounds from the slums coming out at us, though no people or animals to greet us. Eventually we come across a stone wall, the back of a staircase to the ramparts. At a glance, it¡¯s just a regular, slightly worn down stone face, but to the trained eye, it is a door. Wood-Kin craftsmen can come up with some very amazing things, like a wooden door that looks and feels exactly like quarried stone.


    Cyrus hops off his horse and pulls out a piece of paper, probably trying to see if this really is the place. I don¡¯t blame him, this is probably his first time here, and I would pay money to see him actually notice this damn door on his first time. He started to feel around the entire thing, which actually started looking funny to myself and Y¡¯sar. The trick behind this door is that it has a hidden icon on it of the Lady Varta, mother of keys, and Cyrus is currently grabbing her breasts instead of the key. You only ever really notice the icon after someone who¡¯s been here before explains it to you, a written explanation is usually only given to people who are known to be escorting those who have traveled these gates. Actually, those written explanations are supposed to both leed you astray and have you grab funny parts, one of the few avenues for joking in a professional manner they have, that also mislead those idiots that steal the documents.


    After a few more moments, Cyrus caught our states in the corner of his eyes, then looked straight at us. The look of pure confusion on his face caused myself and Y¡¯sar to lose our composure and flat out laugh at him. After Y¡¯sar calmed down first, he explained how to see the icon, making Cyrus shred the explanation and start stomping on it. This surprised me a little, and also confirmed my suspicions. This guy was either a reject noble who left to join the Order, or a very promising commoner, and was most certainly promising. He looked to be around the age of twenty and had achieved the sixth rank of ferocity as well as the third of blindness, but then again, not as good as me.


    Very few are as good as me.


    It fucking sucks. Why, you may ask? Simple, nobles tried to make me their breeding stock. Don¡¯t ask.


    While Cyrus was having his little tantrum, Y¡¯sar simply activated the door. He placed his hands on the key and turned it, detaching the door¡¯s lock. Y¡¯sar swung the door open and Sigara started down the hallway we had been presented. Y¡¯sar and Cyrus followed suit not long after. Eventually we were travelling through the tunnel, only illuminated by the glow of the Blue Ertan Moss. The light was low, but more than sufficient for our horses and myself, not entirely sure about the others, though Cyrus most definitely did not need to see; a little help from his mastery over the fifth path.


    We didn¡¯t talk too much, only the clitter clatter of the horse hooves and the breathing of our worn down steeds filled the tunnel with sound. While everything was silent on the outside, I was not even close to being calm on the inside. Memories and feelings surged through me as every step brought me close to the palace, to a place that I once thought akin to hell. But now I was the Queen, people couldn¡¯t do what they once did to me, I had the power they needed, and I sure as hell was one to hold a grudge. It didn¡¯t matter to me how much they had changed, I was going to be as vindictive as possible, heads wouldn¡¯t roll, but there would be a great amount of new management.


    After a half hour passed, we found ourselves in front of the door leading to the Palace entrance of the tunnel. My heart is pounding in my throat, and I wonder how all of this came to pass. Why didn¡¯t the others just stop hanging on the Queen¡¯s every word? They should''ve known that Dad would have come up with some way to keep them from the throne, he always had just the right plan in place when he needed it most.


    This time, it would be me.


    I don¡¯t know how I feel about him taking me back here, but I¡¯m glad I got a reprieve from this place, if only for a little while. Living as a Ranger was rather enjoyable, I got to relieve my frustrations on every little shit and punk that the contracts allowed me too, and goodness has that done me a world of good.


    Y¡¯sar got off of his horse then turned the key stone on this new door. This time, the door was a representation of Cecilia, the goddess of the moon. I was named after her because of my snow white complexion and silver hair. The key stone in this representation was the blue moon, a representation of Cecilia¡¯s loneliness, due to a few myths that would take a while to explain.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    The door opened, and Y¡¯sar swung it open, just for us to be met with an empty courtyard. I remember this place vividly, though. This is the outer courtyard of the royal palace, and the figurative wall between the servants quarters and the main palace. The courtyard was empty, and an eerie quiet had descended over the area. We quickly made our way over to the stables which were at the other end of the palace, and an old Wood-Kin greets us. I¡¯m surprised. Not many Wood-Kin survive to live this long, at least not in a society that lives as short as our own. Sometimes the Wood-Kin get a little too reckless after their second generation¡¯s worth of friends and lovers die of old age. Wood-Kin can live on the up end of five hundred years, so the ones that reach two hundred get very death defying, simply because they could care less.


    This guy is also new, by the looks of it. He wasn¡¯t here five years ago. Then again, I never really went near the royal stables when I was younger, the guards always stopped us¡­ where are they?


    The Old Wood-Kin takes a look at me and then a huge grin takes to his features. Something about all of this is a little unsettling, so I slowly started to lower my hand towards one of my sabres. Again, where the hell are the guards? Where is everybody?! This place was busy as all hell everyday, year round!


    ¡°Hey son! You didn¡¯t say the girl was this much of a bombshell!¡± Oh Sweet Eldar No


    Now that I look at him more closely, this guy seems to be wearing a ranger¡¯s insignia on his working, the insignia being two red stags bowing their heads to a sale-balance, which usually means one thing.


    Ranger General.


    Y¡¯sar laughs sheepishly and I start glaring at him. The fuck is going on here? Nothing''s making sense! First, the courtyard is empty, second, the stables are unguarded, and now Y¡¯sar¡¯s dad, apparently, is making a pass at me¡­


    This is all some weird nightmare, isn¡¯t it? That Orc must have hit me on the head while we were fighting. Yup, only solution.


    Y¡¯sar¡¯s dad then lets a serious expression fall over his face as he bows to me, making me a little uncomfortable in the process. I¡¯m very much so not used to the idea of one of my bosses bowing, kind of screws with my understanding of my place in the hierarchy. Then again, I¡¯m now the queen, so my position in the hierarchy just jumped from Journeyman Rank 9 to one of the two hands of the pact.


    ¡°My apologies for the cold welcome, my queen, but only a select few can know of your¡­ promotion. Your father has also made it so that any and all servants whose loyalties would be split between yourself and the other nobility have been removed. The other Royalty and courtiers have been distanced and a gag order has been placed on the capital, so we have some time before nobles start playing games with you at the center. At most, we have two weeks before hearsay becomes fear, so you will need to learn enough to at least pass by and pick a new staff by then. Other than that, your father needs to talk to you, rather urgently. Oh yes, my name is also Y¡¯mar, milady. Forgive my impoliteness. You have yet to make the pact, so my actions are without excuse.¡± Y¡¯mar


    And he¡¯s bowing again! What the hell! And he¡¯s not stopping! What did dad always say in these situations?


    ¡°At ease?¡± Cecilia


    He lets out a relieved breath and look up at me, smiling. I then motion towards his servant¡¯s garb with the embroidery of his station. This I really don¡¯t understand.


    ¡°Oh, this? Well, worked on a stable when I was younger, so I thought I¡¯d help out the stablemaster, as most of his work force was purged. Allow me to take care of your steeds, Knight boy, take them to the Royal Chambers, you should know the way.¡± Y¡¯mar


    The three of us dismount and start leading the horses over to Y¡¯mar. When he takes Sigara¡¯s reins, he grins.


    ¡°What¡¯d you name her, your grace?¡± Y¡¯mar


    I was just about to say Sigara when I realize that it¡¯d probably make me a laughing stock were my steed be named something so insulting. What redeeming qualities does she have? Well, she¡¯s definitely a runner, the only reason she¡¯s tired is because of the fatigue from yesterday''s run persisting, she was doing wonderfully the entire time and I had to stop her from outpacing the other two. Good ride too, felt like I was sitting in a stationary chair, aside from the wind that is. She was also going nuts over the run, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s had the opportunity to cut loose and run like that once, from what Cyrus has told me of her. It¡¯s decided then.


    ¡°Lugurinacta.¡± Cecilia


    He nods and starts smiling, and I hear another coin pouch being thrown behind me as well as Cyrus grumbling angrily. At this point, I have to question the intelligence of Cyrus. Also, when do they make these bets? We haven¡¯t really been out of earshot of one another for the last two days, after all. The only solution is that, like always, Y¡¯sar¡¯s crazy luck has allowed him to make literally every bet before I joined up.


    But, this doesn¡¯t really matter at the moment.


    ¡°Cyrus, can you take me to my father? There seems to be a lot we need to discuss.¡± Cecilia


    Cyrus nods and starts taking us down the corridors. Along the way, I see a Ranger who bows to us before continuing on his rounds. Now I understand why all the guards are gone, they were replaced with Rangers. We come in all shapes and sizes, but the average Ranger can take down about five well trained guardsmen easy, so having an entire garrison of Rangers makes this place several times more defended than it was previously.


    Eventually I¡¯m in front of the Royal Bed Chambers, or as I liked to call it, the cry room. This is one of the only places that I could talk with my father without fear of anything. That usually involved a bit of tears on either side.


    Mostly his, and don¡¯t call him a wimp, there are reasons why nobility keep their kids at their manners until they¡¯re of age before presenting them to the world. I, unfortunately, didn¡¯t exactly share in their good fortune. It wasn¡¯t always crying, though. A lot of times it was him trying to make up as much fatherly time as he could, to make up for some unknown wrong that he probably blames himself for. He beat himself up for years about culling an entire noble family after they tried to sell the nation over to one of the mainland nations; despite giving them three fucking tries to get their act together.


    My dad has a good heart not meant for ruling, not cruel enough.


    I let out a breath I didn¡¯t realize I was holding, then stand up and gather up every last bit of my pride and dignity for my meeting with dad. I haven¡¯t seen him for almost five years now, and I was kind of pudgy last time he saw me. I should make a good impression on him. He is trusting me with his kingdom after all, the thing he has worked his life to rebuild from the shitstain it used to be.


    The least I can do is look like he can trust me with it.


    I open the door and take a few steps forward. The smell is very familiar, my father''s, except now it doesn¡¯t even have a trace of the former Queen. You have no idea how infuriating it was for me back when I was nine to have my dad be covered in the Queen¡¯s scent. Much preferred it when he reeked of mom--


    Oh God¡­ all the times when I asked him about that¡­


    Even mom blushed at that, she never blushed. She was freaking shameless. People called her fire because you could get hot and could never touch her. Stupid name, I know, but for some reason stupid names are the ones that persist.


    Well damn, there goes my composure, at least the hallway into the chambers hooks, so he can¡¯t see me. I wipe off the horrified expression I have on my face, and replace it with one of stoicism. Note to self, never think of dad pound-- GODDAMN IT!! I DID IT AGAIN!!


    Okay, calm down. It¡¯s just reproduction, a lot of people do that. I could do it whenever I want to, most people try too at least. That¡¯s how I started getting called moon goddess, again, stupid name. Then Y¡¯sar started calling me moon cow once I had that weird¡­ growth spurt. I mean, it just happened! One day, flat as a board, the next, I¡¯m bigger than most dairy cows.


    Okay, yeah, much better. Note to self, go on tangents on the off chance that you think of mom¡¯s meat getting-- FUCKING SHIT!!

 Chapter 5

    After finally taking care of my wandering thoughts, I turned the corner and saw my father, for the first time in several years. He didn¡¯t look anywhere near as good as I remember him. Gone was the youthful man with pale skin, brown and a well trimmed beard, a man with a runners build. Now was just a gaunt fellow with sickly white skin and a face that looked older than this city. Grasbin¡¯s Curse, no doubt. A rare sickness which ages the afflicted with increased aging speed, his Wood-Kin blood is probably the only reason he lived the first week, and Cyrus said he had around three months left¡­


    It isn¡¯t infectious, more so an effect of certain poisons, unbelievably expensive poisons. His blood would have had him look like he was twenty for almost two hundred and fifty years, and at the rate this is going, he would have had to have ingested the poison about four years ago. There was an attempt on his life around that time in a big banquet, he used that to formally start his crusade on the nobility of this duchy, though it¡¯s been progressing slowly on the outside duchies.


    My father¡¯s eyes are closed, fairly reasonable given that it¡¯s still technically an early hour of the day and nobility aren¡¯t known for being early risers like most others. I take a few strides and sit on the side of the bed, and take my hand to lightly shake dad¡¯s shoulder. He had an innocent expression on his face, far beyond what the public believes to be my father. They see him as the ¡°Iron Fisted King of Eria,¡± but nothing is quite so simple. He was always a gentle and kind man, sometimes I would smell dad¡¯s tears on mom¡¯s shoulder; and, after a few years of constant needling, she finally told me that he needed a shoulder to cry on, and never to tell him that she said that. Apparently it was usually over exterminating one baronette family or sending a village of bigots or such to the chopping block.


    But damn was he good at hiding his sadness. Though, anybody could tell he was disgusted by the Old Queen, his ¡®wife.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t the only one, though. The Old Queen was known as the ¡°Mad Queen,¡± simply because of everything she did. The current heirs are seen as a group of sycophants and tyrants. Only the nobility will reject my taking the throne, simply because I¡¯m an unknown factor and they are rather¡­ elitist. The commoners, however, will rejoice at my coming into power, a potential tyrant is thousands of times better than a proven tyrant, in their eyes at least.


    Eventually I felt something pointy line up right behind my kidneys. Normally, I would have done something to avoid getting into such a situation, but I was interested in finding out how he would react once he found out who I was. Dad wouldn¡¯t kill me before at least exchanging a few words. He liked to get all the facts once he had everyone tied down and vulnerable, just so he could be certain he wasn¡¯t making a mistake. Finally, after a moments pause and him needling me a little more to make sure I understood the situation I was in, he spoke, and thankfully, his voice wan¡¯t akin to his age. It would be weird having dad sound like some grandpa.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s not really that smart to play Ranger when you¡¯re obviously too pretty to fit the job. Lemme guess, your boss planned on you pretending to be a maid, seduce a few guards, and then show up here and kill me, but then the rules changed and you picked the next best thing, a Ranger. Well let me tell you here, missy, you are by no means the first assassin to come after this magnificent ass of mine, but when you try again in the next life, try seducing me first. You look surprisingly similar to my dead lover.¡± Dad


    I can¡¯t help but giggle at the nostalgia that hit me as he spoke. It was good to see Dad again, but this is simply too good. I can¡¯t wait to see the reaction on his face when he realizes that he just suggested to his daughter that she seduce him. His nearest eye quirks open at me, a bit of surprise quite evident in his gaze. You should know, his recumbent position simply made it seem like his eyes were closed as they tracked me. A little trick I learned from mom, apparently she thought it was a funny trick to play on the male guards and servants that snuck into her room to steal some of her¡­ feminine attire. Still wondering where the hell she got those things, stuff like that could go for a fortune on the market, and Wood-Kin usually only made them for their significant others.


    Now that I think about it, dad was pretty useful in handy crafts¡­ let¡¯s stop this train of thought before it goes to unsavory places.


    My merriment still resided, and only grew with Dad¡¯s confused appearance.


    ¡°I thank you for the compliment, mother always was the most beautiful person in the palace, way out of your league in my opinion, but hey, not complaining really. Be weird if I complained about my parents getting together, wouldn¡¯t it?¡± Cecilia


    A look of recognition crossed his features as his mouth started floundering and his eyes bulged out of their sockets. Eventually he let out a hopeless chuckle, dropping the knife to my back and using the same hand to run it through his hair messy, grey hair.


    ¡°God above! You look and sound exactly like your mother! Haha! It¡¯s good seeing you again Cecilia. My goodness, you''re so much bigger than I remember you being! HAHA! Since when did I give permission to grow up! HAHAHAAA!!¡± Dad


    Been awhile since I''ve seen him this happy, then again, it¡¯s been awhile since I¡¯ve seen him. He wasn¡¯t exactly the boisterous type. I notice a small tear run down the left side of his head.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s been five years¡­ you¡¯re already a woman now in your own right. I¡­ I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t be with you¡­ no, that¡¯s just an excuse, I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t save your mother. I¡¯m sorry I pulled you back into all this. I should have just left you the hell alone, my own damned selfishness just causes you pain, and I can¡¯t seem to be able to take a hint.¡± dad


    I stop him. If he goes on like this, things will get bad, quick.


    ¡°Dad, all my experiences here were cause by the fact that I didn¡¯t have the power to protect my curiosity and ambition. I know that to have had the power, you would have needed to make it clear that I was your daughter, weakening your position considerably. The only reason why I¡¯m probably still alive, is because you had the power to protect me and others like me from the nobility. If I had power, you wouldn¡¯t have power, and I again would be even more defenseless. You did all you could, and sitting here right now, I would have resented you for sending me and mother away, because at the end of the day, you kept her in balance and not wanting to disfigure herself. You remember how much she hated the fact that every man in the castle always looked at her and never saw her mind, but I know for a fact the only reason she was strong was because she knew deep down inside, that you and her belonged to one another. I know that doesn¡¯t really make sense, but it''s true. You two were inseparable, not because you only liked one another''s company, but because without the other, you would have ended up not much better then the Mad Queen. You would have turned into Elyria, Mom would have turned into Elyria, and this entire country would no doubt have drowned in the shit it let stew for far too long.¡± Cecilia


    He just sat there and stared at me blankly, before smiling weakly and grasping my hand that had gone towards his side.


    ¡°At least one of my children got the right idea. Still wish that your mother could have conceived a sibling for you. I know that your other¡­ siblings, haven¡¯t been the best to you. And you haven¡¯t exactly gotten to know the good apples, all four of them. Well, I call them good apples, but that¡¯s mostly because they aren¡¯t as rotten the three oldest.¡± Dad


    He then stops midway and assumes a pained expression.


    ¡°I should have paid more attention to the those three, if I had known what the hell that bitch was doing, I could have at least stopped them from getting so damned screwed up. At least I was able to bring Jeremiah back to his senses, though I had wished he wouldn¡¯t lock himself up in his studies to become a Rowune. I mean, I¡¯m happy that he found a way out of the game, but he probably could have done more good on the throne than on a podium. No offense to your potential, I still remember how much Soren bragged about you taking his job with just a few years more study, but he¡¯s been learning more than you.¡± Dad


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    I just smile at him and mentally shout HAH! Just wait until he finds out that I¡¯ve practically been running Adria¡¯s Pact, the Ranger Pact in Adria more specifically, for Y¡¯sar. If anything, I probably have more info on the current going¡¯s on of Eria than gentle old Jerry. Not to mention how to deal with nobles, public order, and purging those nobles who go against the law.


    ¡°So, how was your trip to the capital?¡± Dad


    I then start regaling him with how my past two weeks have gone, from taking my first mission since finishing my most recent remeasuring, after thinking about my mothers measurements I realized the bandage was only a temporary solution. I then told him about my time on the road to Caust, the bitchy innkeeper, my tracking down that Orc for several days, everything afterwards. He starts chuckling at my reaction to the villagers.


    ¡°The only thing I find question with, is why didn¡¯t you take your armor back?¡± Dad


    ¡°Ah that, the reason is, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m gonna be wearing stuff like this piece of shit armor ever again. And realistically, I didn¡¯t want to smell more like milk than I already did, thanks to that inn. Also, after what I did to the straps over the shoulders¡­ I would definitely need them reworked, and again, I don¡¯t have much attachment to the majority of my equipment, unlike some maniacs. There was one Range by the name of¡­¡± Cecilia


    And like that, we spent an hour, at least, going over how my life for the last few years has been. Also, for everyone¡¯s understanding, I¡¯m not wearing my armor anymore. Y¡¯sar put my clothes onto Sig--Lugurinacta. Should I just call her Lugus for short? I mean, it means essentially the same thing, lugus meaning swift and nactara meaning runner. Anyways, Y¡¯sar put my clothing into a pair of satchels on Lugus¡¯ back, apparently it took longer than it should have.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re life has been interesting, to say the least. Now, help me up, I should introduce you to your new best friends.¡± Dad


    I stand up from the bedside and help my father raise himself from the bed. The silk sheets just seem to clide of his nightdress, probably the softest materials in the city. That¡¯s right! I¡¯ll be living in luxury nowadays, won¡¯t I? Oh yes, no more flee bitten inns, stingy clerks, and tick infested Elk rides for me! When he¡¯s up he motions for me to grab him his cane, which I do quickly. The cane is rather plain, simply a stick of dark, polished wood with the pommel being a deer''s head with a space for you hand between the antlers. He takes it and we start going across the room, back towards the door. I¡¯ve noticed that my father is still taller than me, standing proudly at six feet, size being a thing of commonality between the men of our kingdom, regardless of race, we are all larger on average than our main land and islander counterparts.


    Then again, everything on Eria is naturally bigger than anything else in the world. For example, wolves. Everywhere else on the world, wolves are about twice as big as hunting dogs, in Eria, they¡¯re so much larger, people refer to them as wargs. Sometime in the past, a King of Eria brought a horde of wargs onto the mainland and set them loose on a nation that relied heavily on hunting, that had recently been undermining our trade with pirates.


    Five hundred years later, that land is one of the poorest in all the mainland. Most of it¡¯s inhabitants fled to other countries, though they were probably enslaved. Slavery is a fairly common practice on the mainland, despite being outlawed here. There is another process, similar to slavery in Eria, but it maintains the natural rights of the Kinnic races, preventing them from being abused. The system works off of a debt system, you offer yourself up for a set amount of coin, and are law-bound to pay off your debt through service to the lord. You can only offer yourself to nobles or high ranking merchants, to keep the balance of power stable.


    He asks me to grab his cloak, which I do, then helping him stand while he dons it. The cloak, or rather the hood on the cloak, is a rather famous piece of clothing for Erians, like a turban for the Suanarin of the Suana Deserts and saucer like hats for the Kendali of the Great Marsh. I¡¯ll talk about them when the time comes.


    The cloak manages to hide his infirmities, something painstakingly important for those in positions of power. We then make our way outside, my father standing tall and proud despite probably being the sickest man in Eria.


    As we leave the room, I can feel Dad¡¯s eyes studying me. I know what he¡¯s doing, probably trying to discern whether or not I am competent in combat. It is important for Erian nobility, that aren¡¯t all that legitimate, be martially inclined. There are certain rites that have existed since the old days that involve nobles challenging others with weak claims to help strengthen the kingdom as a whole. Usually the noble sends his champion, but illegitimate noble¡¯s have a hard time at finding decent champions, meaning they usually have to fight for themselves.


    Me, I doubt I¡¯ll be using champions simply on principle, and the fact that it will scare most people shitless of me. It¡¯s good to be feared by your enemies, but it will hopefully send another message, that I like to be there to personally rip their spines out for crossing me. And now that I think about it, all I¡¯ll really need of the headsman is his axe, mostly for the big boys. All those little chickenshit grunts, they can go about their merry way, well, the innocent ones. I will only use headsmen the headsman for the quantity, I will take care of the quality.


    This also works for stress relief!


    Yay therapy!


    We go through the doors and see four guards, the royal kind, these people are some of the best duelists in the nation. Two are there to watch over the King while the other two are permanently stationed and look after the bedchambers. They have all the expressiveness of stone slabs while on duty, which is for the best. Royal Guards are specifically trained to not show an inch about their character while on guard, helps against provocateurs.


    All of them stand at attention before dad clacks his cane on the ground twice, signifying for them to stand at ease. We then start heading down the halls towards the second ring of the palace. Erian palaces, cities, castles, and manors are rather simple, when it comes to construction. A series of elevated rings which go outward, signifying the authority and importance of the area. The Throneroom is in the third Ring, and the ballroom in the fourth. Servants quarters are in the second ring, and this entire complex is seriously huge. The palace was built on the remains of the original capital city, and the rest of the city is the remains of it¡¯s former sub-urban sprawl.


    Again, stories for another time.


    We go through the gate to the second ring and continue down the path through one of the many gardens in the palace, they place one wherever there is an open plot of land. I catch sight of around three gardeners, showing that not everyone is gone from the workforce. They each of them bow and look at me in curiosity. One of them, a Stone-Kin, oddly enough since they hate this kind of work usually, looked strangely familiar, but I have important things to do at the moment.


    We continued on the path until we came to the council room, which was built from the old town haul, if I recall. Erian¡¯s are a sentimental folk, so when it comes to really old buildings like this one, we prefer to simply repurpose it than tear it down, making sure that it¡¯s foundations are still working and the like first though.


    Dad and I place our hands of hands on both sides of the door and open it up, a little custom that exists amongst Erians. When a lord of a property enters it, he opens it alone, if a lord and his heir enter a property together, than the open it together. Meant to represent that the lords of an area are the guiding hands of that area, and when together, they are one in their decisions.


    We open the door and the group of people that appeared to be in the midst of a heated discussion immediately quiet. I can see a Erass-Kin, Erass are a sort of mix between the most terrifying wolf you¡¯ve ever met and it¡¯s counterpart lion. They are among the most level headed of the High-Beast-Kin and could care less if you¡¯re a Low-Beast-Kin or the Primordial¡¯s son himself, they only listen to achievement and ambition, which is good for me. He had a ghastly scar running down the side the right side of his face and wore an eyepatch over it. He also had a metal hand-ish thing where he lost a hand in some fight. His brown fur covered features were set in a permament scowl that could drop lesser men dead with but a stare. He stood at seven feet tall and had an air about him that demanded a savage respect found in few. His attire was a rugged set of leather clothes, bordering on armor. I think that this is the minister of war, Grand General Saran Cown. His dense muscles and strong, large hands allow him to use wield a greatsword in one hand and his fake hand is usually replaced with a large pointed shield that curves slightly at the edges.


    Next was a Stone-Kin with a milky white left eye and pure white beard, meaning he has to be three hundred years old, an elder of the Stone-Kin. He wore a nice set of sleeping robes like dad and had a furious expression on his face. Now that I think about it, Saran probably has reason to be scowling. Another one, a male, most likely, wearing leather armor and a blank mask is also looking at what I presume to be the source of their collective ire.


    The source is a plain looking Plains-Kin male with a tired expression on his face, he is wearing rather plain robes and something about him just makes me want to punch him. He is dark haired and blue eyed and has tinges of grey despite looking not much older than me. His skin is pale like a North-Kin, implying a mixed heritage, and going off of his features, he¡¯s a pure blooded Erian. Eria used to be ruled by folk like this man whom were something of a race all their own who had all the mental natural potential as a normal Plains-Kin and could grow as large as a North-Kin. After the Great Upheaval, they were the ones to allow refugees of all the races cohabitate the then too-dangerous-for-settling Eria. Again, stories for later.


    All of them look at a confused me and an exacerbated dad by the sound of his sigh.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re proposing that countermeasure again, Gabriel?¡± Dad


    Countermeasure?


    ¡°You people tell me to give you a damn countermeasure to shut up all the nobles, and I give it to you! The only other option is having her beat the shit out of every single damn champion in Eria. And no offense to your majesty¡¯s daughter, but I doubt the girl can take on anyone of rank eight, and too many dukes have them to make the risk acceptable.¡± Gabriel


    This doesn¡¯t sound good. Before the others could start shouting, my father raises a hand and the all shut up, still glaring hotly and the helpless aggravated looking boy.


    ¡°Hahh~, never mind that, for now, you should introduce yourselves to your new boss!¡± Dad


    As he said that, he pushed me forward and the others start studying me for an instant, though quickly hid their expressions just as quickly as they came. The only one who didn¡¯t stop was the Gabriel boy who never broke eye-contact and was resting his cleft-chin between his interwoven hands. I felt some primal need to keep his gaze, something telling me not to back down. He then grinned a devilish grin and said a few words I wasn¡¯t expecting.


    ¡°I take it all back, she can kick their asses, fuck that other plan. No way am I doing mankind such an injustice as to let her get taken up by some self-entitled noble son prick not even an inch long.¡± Gabriel

 Chapter 6

    ¡°Okay, what the hell are you talking about?¡± Cecilia


    That came out a little harsher than I expected. Oops! His grin only widened and said another few words I wasn¡¯t expecting.


    ¡°Nothing you need to worry about milady.¡± Gabriel


    Alright, deserved the harsh tone. After he said those words, he promptly crossed his arms in front of his head and used them as a rest for his entire head on the wooden table. I just stare at him for few seconds before going to poke him. Yup, he¡¯s asleep. I look questioningly at dad who currently has a helpless expression on.


    ¡°His name is Gabriel, he¡¯s you minister of affairs, which means he ¡°finds the best ways to shut the nobility the hell up,¡± as he would most likely define it. The kid deserves some rest, hasn¡¯t slept for three days straight trying to figure out a way for you to get the nobility¡¯s approval and survive.¡± Dad


    Three days?! I immediately retract my hand from poking his cheek anymore. Also, why is this kid so young and sitting on the council? If he were a Beast-Kin at fifteen, I would understand, but this one is just an Erian pureblood. They don¡¯t mature as quickly as most other races once they hit puberty, and maintain a constant rate of maturation, despite being half North-Kin. North-Kin hit puberty in different stages, all depending on their muscle mass and physical capability. Plains-Kin are the shortest lived of the races, but damn do they make it count. Their mental acuity is out of this world and they pick concepts up the fastest out of all the races. It¡¯s not that the others are slow, the Plains-Kin just have a freakish amount of mental potential.


    Doesn¡¯t mean they all live up to said potential.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re to be our new Queen, eh?¡± Stone-Kin


    The first one to start not inspecting me was the Stone-Kin.


    ¡°That would be correct, my name is Cecilia, as you already know, no doubt.¡± Cecilia


    I give him a nod of the head while he gives me a standard Erian greeting for one''s liege, which consists of simply bowing the head while extending both of your hands in front of you. While doing so he begins giving his introduction.


    ¡°Minister Tor, milady. I also act as representative for the Dwarvish, or Stone-Kin as you would call it, Confederation. If you need something official done in the kingdom, I am your man.¡± Tor


    Next up was the man in all black, who had also given a customary greeting.


    ¡°Spymaster.¡± Spymaster


    And that was it. I know that people like him don¡¯t like to say much and have even less known about them, so I let it slide. Next up was the Grand General¡­.


    And nothing. We just stood there, staring at one another. I didn¡¯t have that weird feeling that I did with Gabriel, rather he just stood there, scowling at me. I then started feeling coy and waved at him, and again he didn¡¯t respond, his eyes didn¡¯t even move. At this point, I started feeling worried, but dad just came out of nowhere and jabbed the base of his cane into Saran¡¯s loosely covered foot, causing the huge man to yowl and started shouting bloody murder at my father, who himself was yelling at Saran about being useless except when it came to fighting. This continued for a few minutes before a familiar and annoyed voice came from behind me.


    ¡°Oi, you schmucks!¡± Gabriel


    Everyone turned around to a pissed off looking Gabriel.


    ¡°Saran, if you don¡¯t stop acting like a child, I will agree to a certain countesses requests for further ¡®martial training.¡¯¡± Gabriel


    The terrifying beast that looked like he could kill everyone in the room¡¯s expression froze and starts speaking in obvious fear.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t.¡± Saran


    Gabriel then pulls out a letter with a noble¡¯s crest on it as well as a stamper that has the general¡¯s seal on it. He then grabbed a purple candle out of another one of his endless pockets and held it¡¯s wick near a lit candle on the table. His expression was steely and no nonsense.


    ¡°Try me.¡± Gabriel


    His gaze then shifted to my father.


    ¡°And you, I know it¡¯s just the six of us, but we need to make sure your last few months of rule are the brightest they have ever been. People will claim you made this decision in some delirious fit and won¡¯t hesitate to discredit and assassinate her majesty if they aren¡¯t sure this is for the best. The nobility might not like you, but all the families have at least someone who understands why they don¡¯t piss off commoners. Make it so that by pissing on your memory for these last few months, they are pissing on every goddamn commoners head to the point where noone can take even an insulting joke thrown at you.¡± Gabriel


    He then turns to me.


    ¡°And you, no matter what happens, if you marry the count... Count of¡­. Duke of Ergen¡¯s son, I... will¡­. maasdfhklnvick¡­.¡± Gabriel


    And like that, he passed out again. As silent as a dead body. And unmoving. And very pale. Is he actually dead? Probably not, but a girl can dream.


    The hell did that come from? Also, why is my Beast side starting to get really, really hungry for red meat? I¡¯ll have to consult the journal, but for now, I should get back to this meeting.


    Saran still looks pale and dad seems a little guilty looking. Seriously, where did dad find that kid? I mean, he just blackmailed the most dangerous man in the kingdom and his boss, and somehow doesn¡¯t already have absolute power in Eria. Still, gotta respect him. Anyone who can make The Scourge of Dar go pale is a hero in his own right. Still, did he just give dad a lecture? Isn¡¯t it supposed to be the other way around? Then again, dad wouldn¡¯t take a worthless yes-man as his advisor, so maybe I shouldn¡¯t be surprised.


    Saran then goes ahead and kneels in front of me! Seriously, why is he so afraid of a single countess?! This man butchered an entire island full of ex-soldiers and mercenaries who turned bandit. Those guys were fearless! Hell, an entire nation''s navy was being pressured by those guys! And Saran just said ¡°fuck it¡± and took a goddamn dingy!Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Anyways,


    ¡°Ah, sorry about my rudeness milady, I am Saran, the Grand General and Admiral. I watch over all things regarding the military, with the exception of the Ranger¡¯s Pact and Adventuring-Mercenaries Guild. The Mercenaries guild will report through Executive Joshua and you¡¯ve no doubt met Master Y¡¯mar. They act independently of us, but still require my or your sanction. If Y¡¯sar¡¯s praises of your skill in combat are true, then it will no doubt be an honor to serve under you.¡± Saran


    Dad looks surprised and glares at Saran.


    ¡°I thought none of us were to get status updates on my daughter?¡± Dad


    Saran looks a little sheepish.


    ¡°Well, you seeee, I may have forgotten what her name wassss.¡± Saran


    ¡°Hahh~, why am I even surprised. Anyways, Cecilia, you should get a rest and get properly dressed. Come with me, a servant girl will no doubt have your bath already drawn, and no offense, but you smell rank, and slightly bloody... I would ask how, but you always were a tomboy...¡± Dad


    The last part dad groaned beneath his breath, but my hearing is shared between a Wolf-Kin and a Wood-Kin, both notorious for their auditory capabilities; and something very few purebloods want to admit to, is that, in some cases, mixed bloods get the compounded effect of a bloodline¡¯s positive attributes. And the thing is, I seem to have gotten all the positive attributes, even a Serpent-Kin¡¯s resistance to most reptilian poisons that not even all Serpent-Kin get!


    Got the short end of the stick when a certain assassination attempt backfired and hit me instead of Talia, but God do I wish it had actually worked. Don¡¯t remember what happened to the snake though, but then again, I don¡¯t think I want to remember a lot of the things that happened that day.


    *shivers*


    The stories¡­


    We say our goodbyes and go out of the doorway, following a path back into the first ring, pretty much anything regarding the daily life of the royalty exists in the first ring. We enter and dad parts along the way saying that he needs to go back to rest, he gets tired easily, which isn¡¯t surprising. Honestly, it¡¯s more surprising that he can still walk.


    Right now I¡¯m standing in the middle of the gardens with only the one Royal Guard. He¡¯s a big man, but not in stature. While he may stand just as tall as me, around 5¡¯5¡±[mixed-bloods have trouble with bloodlines screwing up their growth patterns.] What really set him apart, though, were his muscles. The man¡¯s pauldrons were large, and I doubt a man with much fat could make it into the Royal Guard with my dad and Saran in charge of things, though Saran¡¯s sphere of influence is kept mostly to the standard military to prevent a coup.


    I decide to finally ask the man for directions.


    ¡°Uhm, sir, could you point me in the direction of the baths? Been awhile since I was last here and I can¡¯t remember the way.¡± Cecilia


    He just points in the direction we need to go, which is towards a building that is unconnected to the main spire of the palace. The spire is mostly for show nowadays, but apparently the construction is Eldar-Kin. Wouldn¡¯t surprise me, the damn thing looks like it was built yesterday!


    I nod at the stumpy, overly-buff guard, taking a second to memorize more about him. Some nobles have been killed rather easily just because they couldn¡¯t tell their guards apart from assassins. Anyways, the guy is obviously part Stone-Kin with a beard like that. Don¡¯t ask me, but it¡¯s just one of those things that Stone-Kin do on instinct, they feel incomplete without them. Kind of like a shaved Beast-Kin, or a lizard type Beast-Kin with hair. Still don¡¯t know what their always on about though, I feel right and cozy like I am now.


    But then again, those lizard types always do go on about their¡­ what did they always call it? Woman-scaping? Hell if I know, but the female Rangers who were reptilian always tried to shave me in the bath house...


    *shivers*


    So many scales¡­ bodies shouldn¡¯t contort like that¡­ the Croc-Kin didn¡¯t even look like a woman!!


    Of course, none of this showed on my expression. Training with a provocateur for five goddamn years had some positive effects, at least. So, after giving my bodyguard a nod in thanks, we make for the building. It¡¯s an extension of the palace, connected through a thin corridor. The buildings in each ring make different symbol in Old Erian, which was a language based on sigils and runes. The sigil that the palace makes up translate to ¡°Greatness through Vigilance.¡±


    Two words that have never been disgraced more in recent generations. The motto doesn¡¯t belong to my family, it actually belongs to the family my great-great grandfather usurped. How the hell else do you think none-Erians took the throne? My grandfather was a pure blooded Wood-Kin! Though it¡¯s probably for the best that the relatives are dead, I hear it wasn¡¯t going too well, and that dad was the only sane one. Something about most of his relatives being inbred, incestuous shits and dwarves who frequented brothels with their mercenary buddies. Had no idea what he was talking about, but hey, i haven¡¯t really spent much time looking up the family history. The Eria dad rules and the Eria grandpa ruled are wildly different, even our stance on war is different. Though, yet again, stories for later.


    We enter the doorway, which has carvings of a dead dragon and what looks like some sort of hero standing over it. I open the door and look back at the guard for continued advice. He gets the message immediately and points at a wall¡­ okay, I get that this place has a couple secret passageways, but come on! There is no way that they fit one in the small space between the walls. But then it hits me!


    The wall is covered in a series of sigils written in the old tongue, the runes for different toiletries and such adorning them. I forgot about these things! I always loved the beautiful designs the starstone made when mom activated the sigils. Mom never let me activate them when she was teaching me the old tongue, not that I blame her. I was a bit ditzy as a kid, so knowing me, I would most likely have kept turning the damn thing on and off again in a frenzy of giggles.


    Now that I think about it, nobody besides the guard is actually here, and there aren¡¯t that many people here¡­.


    Time to indulge in the pleasures of a little girl, I still have a few weeks left before my 16th birthday after all.


    I immediately turn it on, the nightstone and starstone immediately reacting to cause a flurry of soothing, white light to race down the hall. Then I turn it off, and on, and off, and on, and off¡­.


    ¡°Hehehehehehi¡± Cecilia


    *********************


    Gabriel POV:


    I wake up from my slumber and look around the room groggily. Looks like the meeting concluded while I was asleep, damn. I really need to get some goddamn sleep, or as Underling number two would probably put, ¡°to get laid.¡± Hmph, as if some pretty woman would even be interested in my crippled ass.


    As I think that, I shift my stumps over the side of the chair and start strapping myself in. The leather harness for my false legs wrapping tightly around my thighs. Hahh~, then again, one noble did say that with power comes pussy, but then again, he was murdered by three of his harem mates when he was still just 24. Seriously, what idiot takes three members of the same High-Beast race as concubines? They wouldn''t exactly care if they were all from different races, but the instant you pick more than one, it¡¯s all downhill from there.


    I pick my cane up from it¡¯s resting place on the leg of the table. Really though, did they have to make this entire semicircle from the same piece of wood? I know that some of the trees in Wood-Kin lands get big, but this is just ridiculous! The thing is large than a common room back in my home town and it¡¯s just a quarter of the tree¡¯s circumference!


    While I think such thoughts to myself I twist the head of my cane to the setting so that it¡¯s inbuilt flute makes the high pitch noise associated with following. Quickly raising the hole to my lips I blow air through it, and can almost hear the running of my good ol¡¯ companion Vanar. I seriously don¡¯t get why everyone in the palace is always raving about naming their companions in Eldar, I honestly prefer the stronger feeling of a name spoken in the old tongue. Vanar means hunter, quite an appropriate name for one of the biggest Wargs I¡¯ve ever seen, if you ask me.


    I make my way through the hall as my metallic reminders clink and wheeze as they accommodate my weight. I should really get new legs, these ones are getting uncomfortable. Did I gain weight, or is it just growth in general? Hahh~, not like it matters in the long run.


    With some difficulty I manage to get through the door, the feet of my legs must be wearing down from the constant use, since I seem to be sliding all over the place when putting any actual exertion on them. I then exit just in time for Vanar to show up and stand expectantly for a rub on the back of his head, right behind the right ear, just where he likes it. Domestication is a constant process, after all. If I fall behind on teaching him such lessons, well¡­


    Might need some new staff in case some ditz decides he¡¯s just some cute pup. Saran nearly lost his good hand when he did that, though I¡¯ve managed to get Vanar better trained since then. I do as he bid, but did remember to bump him on the snout for acting like he deserved good treatment. I¡¯m the alpha in this relationship, not him. If he thinks he¡¯s the alpha, things will get bad. Beasts are just like children in a sense, give ¡®em an inch they take a mile.


    I turn towards Arafael¡¯s Spire, a bit of a stupid name if you ask me. I mean, don¡¯t get me wrong, nobody with enough knowledge in even the basics of history wouldn¡¯t respect the Eldar and their names; but this spire is Erian now, it is inside of the Erian Royal Palace and we own it and are currently translating it. Why not give it a new name? Ah hell, no use crying over something that barely concerns me.


    I know my job, fuck over the nobility that fucks over the commoners. Fuck over the commoners that fuck over the other commoners. And in the end, hopefully find a wife that doesn¡¯t mind her husband not having legs.


    As if those exist. I got the feeling that would simply be a relationship based on pity, not a household to raise a few kids in. I mean, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m all that bad looking, pretty average, so maybe¡­


    I continued my internal ramblings about the hopeful scenarios in which I actually find a person to get into a relationship with. I passed through the the Elder-Wood, steel reinforced and water essence treated doorway into the first ring of the palace, going towards my room. I sleep near to the bathing area, a personal preference. I honestly prefer sleeping in a wet place, come winter. It¡¯s only ever a problem in the summer, when the humidity is enough to make me want to destroy the damn area, but that¡¯s only on particularly hot days. The sound of the water alone is enough for me to sleep soundly there, bar the overly comfortable beds and silky blankets.


    On my way I see the passageway towards the bathing house flickering on and off with light, a certain woman¡¯s inane giggling accompanying it.


    ¡­


    Hahhh~...


    Why does my boss have to be both unbelievably hot and cute at the same time? Please God, tell me this at least?

 Chapter 7

    Bart POV:


    ¡°Big Bro! Did ya hear!¡± Shawn


    I look at my little brother, well, not exactly brother. I call him little brother because we¡¯ve been together for as long as either of us can remember, or are willing to, at least. It wasn¡¯t always the two of us, but that changed a few years ago when the Bitch Queen caught sight of our other brother. We¡¯re some of the only orphans left on the street, since the Iron King stopped sitting on his hands.


    We¡¯re on the street because of some¡­ special circumstances.


    ¡°Hear what?¡± Bart


    He starts hopping up and down, a little side effect of his instincts no doubt. Once a Hare or Bunny-Kin gets excited they start jumping up and down all over the place, and Shawn has both their traits. He could easily pass as either one, not even other Beast-Kin would be able to tell his Low-Beast heritage, though the males of their breed are treated more as breeding tools by the women. Why the pure blooded ones are starting to get rarer and rarer in Eria. Although, it would be foolish to say that they are hard to find, it¡¯s just a change from being super populous to being an every other day encounter.


    ¡°The Palace is hiring new staff! People with no aff-affifi-affilation? No something having to do with any noble house and assured loyalty to the Royals!¡± Shawn


    ¡°The word¡¯s affiliation, it means you''re buddies with someone, and I doubt thats a good idea. We might end up with the Three Terrors, not the first time they broke their servants.¡± Bart


    Shawn just gets a smug expression on his face, signifying that he caught me, or more realistically, was withholding information.


    ¡°But it is the first time that the King¡¯s own men sent out the word.¡± Shawn


    That little tid bit of info gets me to shoot up from my haypile, we worked hard to get that hay, and look at him in expectation. He had better damn tell me the rest.


    ¡°People are sayin¡¯ its got to do with the martial law and the Silver Woman.¡± Shawn


    Silver Woman? Seeing my confusion he explained.


    ¡°Ah, right, you don¡¯t listen much to rumors. The Silver Woman was this real pretty gal, came in through the west gate, the tiny one that leads right behind the Flower Road. Silvester said she was riding a white mare, type like the King¡¯s Horse. Thought that it was just some drunken ramblin¡¯s till the Thanes came out and with the all of those Rangers¡­ somethin¡¯ bigs happenins¡¯ bro.¡± Shawn


    Well shit¡­ I get up and shake off the hay on my clothes before looking back at Shawn.


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see if they can make use of a pair of street rats!¡± Bart


    ¡°And if not.¡± Shawn


    ¡°We steal all their crap.¡± Bart


    It was a little phrase we came up with over the years, a motto even. They reject our job request, they regret it.


    But that has slowly been forcing us out of the capital. We¡¯ve been planning on, acquiring an Elk from a, friend of ours. However, if we can stay in the capital, maybe even start living the high life, this¡¯ll be real good for us!


    We grin at each other and start running over to the outer ring, a giant wall in the center of the city that houses the palace. A few weeks ago most of the guards on the wall were fired and replaced with Rangers, some of the best warriors in the country. World even, by some accounts. An army of orphans and street rats that got too damn tired with being fucked over by the nobility. Anybodies dream is to be one of them, the top, as far as fighting goes. Only people who are better than them are Royal Knights and Royal Guard, anybody else is a dreamer if they think they can take on Rangers.


    Two of us wheedle our way out of the abandoned building, an old base of the Blazing Sun, the predecessors of the Rangers Pact. The prideful bastards got ousted by King Kelleran after he found out that they treated commoners like their own personal playthings. Nearly got killed twice when I was younger. While we¡¯re on our way we decide to take a little stroll through the market. I smile as the familiar shoutings of merchants and locals alike, many different languages assault my ears. I eye a few beauties along the way, being in the capital of the largest trading kingdom in the world has it¡¯s perks, like having lots of beautiful people sent as the honey traps of merchants. Harder for someone to make an effective deal if they''re not mentally collected.


    I notice a few ugly ass female Cow-Kin that are wearing outfits that accentuate their curves. They get plump easily, but that tends to just go towards their body¡¯s points of interest. The only reason they aren¡¯t hounded by men all over is because they are ugly as sin! Their noses are huge and their hair is a mess of browns blacks and whites, but in the sense that each individual hair is unique and has a straight color. What¡¯s worse is that they reek of milk, though for some reason only a few people can smell it.


    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    Once we¡¯re through I look towards my brother, noticing a little more of a jingle coming from his pouch. He grins at me and I just chuckle at his antics. Never underestimate this cute looking kid, he¡¯ll rob you for every sparrow you''re worth without you ever noticing. I¡¯m honestly terrible when it comes to pickpocketing, much better when it comes to a heist, though I was never stupid enough to steal anything too big from someone too important. It¡¯s difficult running a one man heist, but oh is the payoff amazing.


    We continue on our way, making a point of avoiding the guardsmen who don¡¯t like us, so all but two. There isn¡¯t any evidence to show that we are real criminals, but there is plenty that shows we are good criminals, mostly being that there''s no evidence of our deeds. I mean, how else do you expect a pair of street rats to survive, after all. After a session of alley ducking and the like, we end up at the line of people getting ready to join the Palace Servants, a cart coming through the gates and a squad of guards surrounding it.


    Hopefully none of them recognise us.


    I go to take a step forward, but the voice of an old woman catches my attention before I go with my brother towards the cart. I look over towards her, a woman wearing a brown, ancient looking cloak and hood that covers all of her features, except for a spilling of golden hair coming from either side of where her head should be.


    ¡°The prince of whores shall take the throne of his forgotten birthright. The blood of the betrayed shall have her vengeance, and all the world will feel her wrath.¡± Old Woman


    She continues walking towards me, and for some reason I just can¡¯t turn away.


    ¡°Forgotten bindings lose their light, the gods are waking, the gods are breathing.¡± Old Woman


    She then looks into my eyes, and I stare straight into her glowing irises that glow in ever changing colors. They look like the sun, flaring with pulses of red and yellow, while her pupils remind me of the eternal darkness of night.


    ¡°Know this child, you are to play a part in the days to come. Hold my gift, it is your only chance.¡± Old Woman


    I go to speak before I feel a hand yank me in the other direction. It¡¯s my brother, he has a concerned expression on his face.


    ¡°Big bro, you alright? You¡¯ve been staring at that statue for a while.¡± Shawn


    Statue?


    I turn to look in the direction of where the woman was, seeing nothing there. The crowd parts a little and I catch a glimpse of an old and dilapidated column of stone. Well, not a column, more of an anthropomorphic column of stone. The fuck just happened? I wipe off a little sweat that had accumulated on my brow and realize just how hot I am? Why am I hot? It¡¯s the beginning of autumn! In Eria! It¡¯s always cool in Eria! I turn back to Shawn as my breathing starts to calm down.


    ¡°Y-yeah, I-i-i¡¯m fine. Just¡­ let''s get over to the cart.¡± Bart


    *********************


    Gabriel POV:


    I wake up with a jerk as a headache rips right into me. I notice that a portion of my vision is turning grey, meaning I¡¯m having one of those headaches. I grunt in displeasure as I flail around in search of a bowl. Had the stupidity to fall asleep in my lab, I double as an alchemist. A hobby of mine. I prefer theoretical alchemy, the reason stemming from my lack of legs. I know for a fact that in the time of the Eldar, it was possible to create something they referred to as panacea, but all the texts never explained it¡¯s formation or any of it¡¯s ingredients. Some think it a technique that required the arcane arts, but there is always the chance.


    I find a bowl, one of the ones I keep around on the off chance I have a day like today, and bring it in front of me. I know what¡¯s going to happen, it¡¯s not a rare occurrence, but thankfully uncommon. I wait for some minutes before the lack of sight disappears all at once, meaning that the real headache starts. I get a second of tranquility before all of a sudden I¡¯m vomiting up last night''s dinner. Steak in between two slices of a roll, I have a thing for sandwiches.


    I wheeze a few times after it¡¯s all done, and my headache begins to subside. Vanar came and started rubbing his scruff against my hip in an attempt to sooze me. The behavior is a characteristic shown only by tamed Wargs, otherwise he would be growling at me in challenge, sensing weakness from his Alpha. I smile warmly at him, this guy has been with me ever since I lost my legs. He was nothing but a runt of the litter, cast out by his family, as far as I could .


    And look at him now. He¡¯s discovered his place and played his part in the world admirably.


    I just hope that we stay together for the years to come.


    A knock comes at my door.


    ¡°Come in!¡± Gabriel


    I slide my stumps over the prosthetics, the ritual far ingrained into my mind after six years of being legless. I hear the door open behind me as I finish putting on the last strap of my left leg. The voice is rather familiar, specifically of the oldest bastard in all Eria, Y¡¯mar.


    Fuck me, I hate this guy.


    ¡°A good friend of mine once said that only idiot alchemists fall asleep in their labs.¡± Y¡¯mar


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have some horse shit to shovel, Y¡¯mar? Now enough with this bickering, let me guess, I have to start my lessons with the Queen?¡± Gabriel


    I finish my other strap and look up, Y¡¯mar standing in front of me despite not making a noise since he opened the door. This man is easily one of the most dangerous men in Eria.


    ¡°Wow, first try! I must contact the church! A miracle hath occurred!¡± Y¡¯mar


    ¡°Ha ha, ha ha ha ha. Ha.¡± Gabriel


    I gave him my slow and obviously sarcastic laugh. His fucking grin only widened. I would love to punch him, but not having legs is sort of putting a damper on any attempt to harm the greatest swordsmen in the nation. Plus apparently this guy has no off switch, so he will simply murder you in cold blood with a damnable smile on his face. Thankfully his son isn¡¯t damn insane, if this guy didn¡¯t have his wives and Y¡¯sar I have no doubts that he would have gone off the deep end. Though, not that surprising after you find out what happened to the rest of his family¡­


    ¡°Anyways, as much as I love our conversations Master Y¡¯mar. I will be going now.¡± Gabriel


    I really hate people like him who get overly friendly with a guy, probably why he does it too. How this bastard manages to keep three wives I¡¯ve no idea, and how they aren¡¯t trying to kill him already I¡¯ve even less of one. Polygamy isn¡¯t outlawed, or particularly frowned upon, but I just fucking can¡¯t understand it¡¯s appeal, other than for the obvious sexual reasons.


    I walk quickly over towards where I keep my cane when inside of the lab, but to my annoyance it wasn¡¯t there.


    ¡°Real nifty piece of craftsmanship you have right here. You know, I¡¯ve always wondered where you got such a thing, you¡¯re not known for your woodworking and I¡¯ve never heard of someone who could make such a special flute.¡± Y¡¯mar


    I turn around and hold out my hand, expecting the cane back, usually this is as far as he gets. But apparently, he decided to turn it up a notch.


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯ve never seen this compartment before! I wonder what¡¯s insi--¡± Y¡¯mar


    ¡°Y¡¯mar, if you open that, a little word regarding the events following your daughter¡¯s childbirth and subsequent death will reach the ears of every damn Ranger under you. I wonder what Y¡¯sar would think once he fou--¡±Gabriel


    My words are cut short the instant a blade is brought under my chin and my cane falls to the floor as if nothing had been holding it previously. I grin a little. Take that you old codger, you''re not the only one who can push buttons.


    ¡°hehehahahahAHAHA! Oh man, for someone who can stare down even Saran, you sure are easy to push. And don¡¯t act like this was unexpected. We¡¯re talking about me here! So how about this, we ignore one another, and that¡¯s it. We both know how much I hate a infighting, after all.¡± Gabriel


    The blade leaves my throat and I can feel the glare borrowing holes into the back of my head.


    ¡°The Queen is waiting.¡± Y¡¯mar


    Ah, finally.


    He¡¯s not talking like we¡¯re friends anymore.

 Chapter 8

    Cecilia POV:


    Alright, so, recap on the current goings on. I just got finished sparring with Saran and Y¡¯mar, so much worse than Y¡¯sar, as they have been force feeding me every swordsmanship lesson known to man. So, after my beat down, they sent me on my way to my next class of the day, and after waiting here for about fifteen minutes, my teacher has yet to show up. This class is simply to help me form a realistic mask for the nobility and common people, since showing my real nature would make me too predictable. But I can¡¯t make it too different, otherwise I would have no actual freedom of mobility in the court, no I need to make one that is just right.


    So here I am, sitting in a chair, wearing some new clothes. A maid saw them and immediately grabbed them before running off to the seamstress and lighting them on fire, or so I am led to believe. Afterwards the seamstress got to work on making new dresses all throughout the night, apparently I have similar measurements to some of her other customers and she took the ones they didn¡¯t like. She also made a point to declare that she would create the perfect dress to match me, apparently I¡¯m something sculpted by the Primordial one.


    Not the first time I¡¯ve heard that phrase, but definitely the first time it was said with reverence instead of¡­ weeeellll, let¡¯s just say it covers the spectrum of negative reactions, a few okay ones and one or two good ones.


    I don¡¯t make friends easy, first thing that happens is, for some goddamn reason, I am surrounded by manwhores who want a bite. Once I tell them to go fuck themselves, I¡¯m surrounded by womanwhores who keep going on and goddamn on about how terrible men are, so I tell them to go uck themselves with their huge daddy issues since they find any other prospect, besides having the man in question tied down and beaten before beginning, to be revolting. And by then, my reputation is already one of the ¡°fuck you girl.¡±


    So fuck me, am I right?


    The sound of the door opening snaps me from my musings and I hear the squeaking and groaning of what I presume to be prosthetics. Not the first time i¡¯ve heard the sound, probably not the last. It¡¯s accompanied by the clacking of a cane and the clicking of a dog¡¯s claws on the stone floor. I look towards where the sound is coming from, it being the doorway to this meeting room. It¡¯s a small room with two padded chairs and a low table in between them, usually used for the proposing of treaties or maybe even a game of Vinik. Vinik being a boring ass game that I only know has too many goddamn rules for most people to play, simply because it makes the whole experience that much more boring.


    I see Gabriel coming towards me with his OH GODDAMN THAT THING IS BIG!! I immediately reach for my sabre before feeling the need to facepalm. That same servant ran off with my sabre towards the Royal Smith, the servant who also stole my clothes. I don¡¯t know how to feel about people taking my possessions without a question, but I decided to be patient.


    Like an idiot.


    I feel a tinge of fear go through me, I don¡¯t want it to end like this. The Warg takes a stance and, before he can even growel, Gabriel jams his cane in front of it and gives a commanding look, making the thing calm down completely. I just stare at him with wide eyes, I seriously know nothing about this guy. First I thought he was some noble with a bad mouth and a poor attitude when sleep deprived, now he¡¯s a cripple that has tamed one of the biggest damn Warg¡¯s I¡¯ve ever seen. Speaking of big, why is it so big?!


    ¡°Erisen Warg, that¡¯s why he¡¯s so big. And before you ask how I know, you''re about the thousandth person to ask the question, that look is the same every time. Now then, I apologize for anything of offense I may have said during my little¡­ delirium? I¡¯m not of a clear head when sleep deprived, though there are those who say I¡¯m even less so with too much sleep, for that matter. Anyways, I have already created a list of possible masks for you, Y¡¯sar was¡­ graphic in his report about your personality. Don¡¯t worry, none of them are indecent. Unless you¡¯ve an exceptionally dirty mind, in which case, pretty much anything is indecent come to think of it.¡± Gabriel


    ¡°A what?¡± Cecilia


    He just smirks slightly and shakes his head while I hear him mutter something about 819. He raises his head with a pleased glint in his eye, apparently, I had asked the right question.


    ¡°Real rare type of Warg, got bred out of existence by a former King who didn¡¯t know how else to deal with the problems these guys were giving us. Sent in a bunch of Northern She-Wolves in need of a mate and eventually the Erisen became a dying breed, as they had smaller litters and take longer to reach breeding age, plus they also take longer in their pregnancies. Nowadays, they just show up as the random offspring of Warg¡¯s. Sad really, their wonderful creatures.¡± Gabriel


    As he said that the Warg looked positively beaming with pride. Smart dog, this one. I return my attention to the paper in his hand. The both of us took positions opposite one another and he placed the documents before me. I take them in both hands and slowly read the list. He just jotted down a list, no fanfare or anything, which I can get behind. Paper should be saved for actually useful things, not unimportant lists that are no doubt going to be burned in an hour or two.


    The first one is tyrant, not much reason to elaborate. Next is idealist, probably pass me off as an idiot with no understanding of underhanded tactics. The next after that was just seriously just written as ditz. Afterwards were a series of maybes and hell nos. Finally I come to create my final list, consisting of honourable warrior king and spy centric king.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°So, it would appear that you have made your choices. They are?¡± Gabriel


    I return my eyes to him and take note of the fact that he detached his prosthetics and placed them off to the side of his chair. His stumps don¡¯t look too good, what¡¯s left of his legs, from as far as I can see, are a mass of gruesome scars that didn¡¯t totally replace his flesh. There is a certain point at which a scar remains permanent, and in the case of missing bone, no potion in the world can replace what is lost, the exception being teeth.


    I immediately draw my eyes to his and begin my explanation, that strange feeling I got the first time we got still there, but far weaker than I remember it being.


    ¡°Warrior King and Devious King, both giving me the largest range of motion regarding the nobility.¡± Cecilia


    He nods at me before giving his own retort.


    ¡°That they do, but you must keep in mind that they also limit your freedoms regarding social change, while they do allow for drastic measures to be taken, they will also restrain you when it comes to minor adjustments.¡± Gabriel


    I nod at him then give him my explanation.


    ¡°I will be using you for that. Well, you and the rest of the council. Expanding their powers regarding managerial purposes would be more than easy.¡± Cecilia


    He nods and looks to be deep in thought before looking into my eyes again.


    ¡°In that case, I say you chose the Warrior King design. You will need to get heavily involved with the military, but I am already aware of your previous station in Pact. Spymaster is undoubtedly a natural at his profession and has already been training a few successors. Saran, on the other hand, is extremely capable at all levels of the military, so pushing him down a peg will be fine. You will also need to act rather brashly and keep any devious nature of yours to yourself. That fine?¡± Gabriel


    I grin and nod, no wonder dad has him around, he¡¯s useful, and yet again, that urge of mine starts flaring up again and I feel the urge to growl, don¡¯t know why though. The Warg starts snaps his head up from it¡¯s previously lazy state, he had moved to other side of Gabriel¡¯s chair, opposite the prosthetics. Gabriel notices the abrupt change in the Warg¡¯s state and looks at him questioningly.


    ¡°What is it Vanar? The last time I saw you like that you were in the middle of rutt-..!¡± Gabriel


    He then snaps his head toward me with a complicated expression.


    ¡°Um, milady, do you know if your mother had any Primal blood in her veins?¡± Gabriel


    Primal blood? I know what it is, it¡¯s a type of Beast-Kin that¡¯s highly associated with holding seats of power in their hierarchy. Primal Beast-Kin are highly in tune with the natural states of their respective beasts instincts. Primal Cat-Kin and Dog-Kin have mating seasons in early autumn for insta--


    Realization hits me like a stampeding Erkin, hopped up on Orc Tonic. Then my face flushes every shade of red short of burgundy and immediately I bolt off towards my room.


    Why the hell did I not check the GODDAMN JOURNAL?!!


    It sounds like Gabriel tries to say something to me, but I could care less. What I need to worry about right now is one goddamn thing.


    Am I going to turn horny for the next month?


    ***********************


    Gabriel POV:


    I can¡¯t help but flounder for an instant, then realise the implications of what just happened. If she doesn¡¯t go into a mating frenzy with someone to stop the heat, there is the chance that a Beast-Kin noble discovers her state and challenges her to a mating duel, it could mean everything the King did was for naught. Mating duels are held when a Beast-Kin experiences a heat and has no male to mate with, which is usually done between separate breeds as they see such relations as nothing more than practice for their real marriage. But when regarding non-Beast-Kin, such rules do not apply.


    The technicality of her mixed race heritage allows for some tenuous navigating and forcing her into a marriage she won¡¯t want a part of. Gotta make a note of dealing with those technicalities in the law, having a mixed race monarch¡¯ll make it easier.


    As I reach for my prosthetics, I freeze as a new thought occurs to me.


    Why were her instincts telling her I was mating potential?


    Questions for later.


    Much later.


    ***************************


    Bart POV:


    I can¡¯t help but be real fidgety after what just happened. The things that lady was talking about are no fucking laughing matter. I know for a fact I¡¯m not crazy, and I¡¯m not either. Mental jokes aside, I run through over and over what just happened, but all I can come up with is that I seriously, just met a goddess. I don¡¯t know which one, she had the whole sun thing going on, but the sun god was male, not female. She also, and call me crazy if you want, started sounding younger and younger as time went on, so she wasn¡¯t an old hag.


    Shawn notices my fidgeting, and place a hand on my shoulder, the concern still evident on his face. Thankfully none of the other three passengers are paying attention to us, they look to be deep in thought over how to get accepted as servants. He leans over and whispered into my ear.


    ¡°Bro, you okay? You¡¯re more fidgety than you were around Selene when she was in heat.¡± Shawn


    Selene was a rather beautiful half breed between a Cat-Kin and a Wolf-Kin, and I always had a thing for her, according to my other brother Mal, she felt the same. She got adopted by a courtier and turned into a scribe, though I haven¡¯t heard from her since the courtier went off towards the Urus duchy, one of the three duchies of Eria. Something felt off about the whole situation, but I could never quite place what, and since no one felt the same, chocked it up to the occasional bout of Paranoia. I always stole extra for her so that she wouldn¡¯t have to work the Flower District, be a damn crime for someone as good natured as her to have to work that place, especially if a Cat-Kin caught sight of her.


    There are reasons the females heal fast.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, thought I saw something. Real scary something.¡± Bart


    He quirked his head at that.


    ¡°Like what?¡± Shawn


    I give him a disarming grin and pull a little joke out of my ass to get him to stop worrying. If he keeps going he might find out I¡¯m lyin¡¯.


    ¡°Naked Mole-Kin.¡± Bart


    He just shakes his head at me.


    ¡°Ass.¡± Shawn


    At that we let out a quick laugh. The laugh seems to ease the tension with not just us, but the entire cart. Small bouts of chatter come from the other three pairs of individuals, the majority of them being pure bloods, the term referring to pure blooded Erians. It isn¡¯t exactly surprising, while our nation is flooded with every kind of race known to Kin, the purebloods prefer our ancient homes and the like while most other races congregate in mostly separate communities. The capital is actually the biggest meshing of races in most of Eria, most of the world actually. Only place where half-breeds are commonplace, and even more so not treated like outcasts. Aside from the pact, that is.


    My brother and I start to mindlessly chatter, making jokes and the like till most everyone in the cart are in a single discussion of jokes and the like. However, I can¡¯t help but feel a tinge of nervousness.


    Almost like someone is watching.


    Almost.

 Chapter 9

    Kellaran POV:


    I notice my daughter running at a pace even Lylos, my horse, would be jealous of with a face practically made of blood it was so red. I recognize that expression, it was the same her mother had when I first kissed her. Ahh, those days fill me with joy at the mere thought. Good on my daughter for finding someone she can cherish.


    Now then, onto important matters.


    Who¡¯s legs do I need to rip off for touching my daughter?


    ********************


    Cecilia POV:


    I dart throughout the palace with such a speed that, if I was paying attention, I would realise had actually pushed through the fifth rank of swiftness. I had reached a bottleneck regarding how to attain such speeds. Now you might be thinking, isn¡¯t running faster than a horse a little unrealistic? And the answer is, you¡¯re right!


    But the only answer I can give you is the return of physical magic into the world. Nobody knows how it happened, only that seven hundred years ago alchemy was simply pipe dreams of crazy men, but then all of a sudden people started performing superkinnic feats and people were dropping dead and bursting into flames from just eating their favorite spices.


    I round another corner before realising that I never dropped a level in my mad dash, which I rectify by hopping off the balcony and swinging down a level, it was a large room that was still roofed and walled off. I roll down the hallway and continue my run until I reach the stairwell to my quarters, which is up the spire. It¡¯s a tradition that the unwed and maidenly daughters of the house live in it¡¯s highest spot, followed by their brothers followed by their parents. Once a daughter is found to no longer possess their maidenhood, they are brought down a level to sleep with their brothers. Dad literally dragged a kicking and screaming Talia down every stair of the tower after he found out about her treatment of the boy servants. In case you''re wondering, the daughter is usually brought down a little later in life, usually as a woman, not in your first months of puberty.


    It¡¯s no mystery why the other nations hold those three in low regard. According to some hearsay, our trading partners are sending delegates to participate in the choosing ceremony where the heir is announced. Everyone seems to realize that they are doing this to get advanced warning as whether or not to try to strongarm dad into changing his mind. They need Erian trade routes for intercontinental and interracial trade, but that doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re foolish enough to leave people like Talia on the throne. Or rather, people who create incidents.


    The stability of Eria means the stability of the world''s trade, so we were essentially the one nation only the Kanis Islands were stupid enough to piss off. Poor Kanites. If only they weren¡¯t inbred, pirating shits.


    Once I¡¯m at the door to the top of the tower, and considerably out of breath, I open it up and look at the nice room I will now be living in. It is small, by the regard of a noble, but more than enough for me. It is filled to the brim with books and ornate carvings run all along the walls. A previous king had a load of colored and uncolored starstone carved into the walls for his daughter who was prone to night terrors if the room was too dark. They truly are beautiful patterns, telling a story really. I can¡¯t remember what story it was exactly, but it was supposed to accompany one of her favorite bedtime stories.


    I quickly run towards my bed and pull out the book that has saved my ass more times than I can count in recent years. It was a gift from my mother, and remember how I said that if I didn¡¯t know for a fact that magic was gone, I would have called her a seer?


    I immediately flip open the book to a random page and what greets me is exactly what I needed. She left instructions that I am not allowed to simply read through the book, and I took those with as much gravity as I would her dying words.


    The passage read as follows.


    ¡°My dearest Cecilia. As you are probably in the midst of your first heat, I just want to say, please don¡¯t turn into Talia. Now yes, you are a primal Beast-Kin, and yes, the heat doesn¡¯t work exactly like you probably expected it to. In our case, myself and yours, it is cause by our hybrid blood. Naturally, the body automatically puts you in heat around males it finds suitable for bearing your children while protecting you in your weakened, pregnant state whilst also making a home for your children. That is not necessarily the case for you, as it wasn¡¯t for me. You¡¯re body''s instincts regarding the ideal male are more attuned with your understanding of a powerful male, I.E. a male with suitable wealth and political power. You have no idea how bad it got for me when I first pounced you dad. I still shake when I remember how vigorously he--¡± Mom


    I immediately stop reading to protect my own sanity. So, if what mom said was true, then that would explain why I found Gabriel suitable. He held a station that was hand picked by dad and displayed a degree of dominance over the other council members, most notably dad and Saran.


    The two most powerful men in the kingdom¡­


    Why am I getting a bad feeling about this?


    I start reading again, jumping a few lines of erotic smut. My mom sometimes acted like that to get a read on people, though she never told me what she was looking for. I probably don¡¯t want to know.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Now, chances are you¡¯re reading this while still in the early stages of heat, which is the ¡°choosing stage.¡± You won¡¯t get aroused or anything, but you will get more and more aggressive and naturally have the desire to follow around your chosen partners. This stage will last around a month the first time, though afterwards it quickens up to about a week. The real heat, as you would probably refer to it as, starts at the end of this month. You will feel the desire to start pandering towards you prospective mate¡¯s desires, being quite clingy, in all honesty. This stage lasts around two weeks, every time, though the degree of you¡¯re own desires will depend on your own state, children, age, physical capability¡­ the list goes on. You won¡¯t try and bite off more than you can chew, don¡¯t worry, your body won¡¯t have you hounding down world emperors. Just try and make sure that you don¡¯t have any big plans scheduled. Finally, here is a family recipe that can help skip the heat. However, keep in mind that it isn¡¯t a sure thing, and it only delays the heat, once you run out of time it will hit you like no other. Good luck Cecil.¡± Mom


    Okay¡­ this is bad. It lines up right on the choosing ceremony, and I¡¯m going to be surrounded by powerful people. Wait, it should be fine, I was going after the one I deemed-oh shit my seat seat is right next to the minister of affairs! Fuck! People are going to think I¡¯m shameless, that or--!


    My eyes widen, I forgot, High-Beast-Kin have a tradition that regards the heats of other Beast-Kin. And the tradition never took into consideration hybrids because they still keep strong ties to their native homelands, which hold hybrids as slaves from birth. A stupid system, I get it, but that is the way of things. Unless we manage to pass a law in the next week, which could very well cause a revolt due to the low number of hybrid rulers, I could end up as the biggest cock up of the royalty in centuries. I seriously need to cement Royal authority once this is over with, and also get rid of that damn law.


    I look over at the description of this mystery drug.


    ¡°Two parts water essence with and infusion of blended firepowder... Drop resulting pellet into a bowl of golden Erkin milk.


    <ol>


    <li>Potion will result in a natural bottling of all effects of a Primal heat.</li>


    <li>Effects persist for two days, one if user maintains intimate proximity to worthy mate.</li>


    <li>Important Note: this potion will only bottle up the heat, once it is over and you still desire to resist the heat. Lock yourself into a tower and perform some indecent acts, you may end up hurting yourself otherwise.</li>


    <li style="font-weight: 400">Utilize other resistance methods before utilizing the potion, it is meant as a last minute resort.¡± Mom</li>


    </ol>


    The notes weren¡¯t written by mom, and most of the instructions were just jabber to me so I didn¡¯t even bother reading much besides the bare necessities as they seemed. It was obviously written by an alchemist, probably a woman from the obvious attention placed on the writing. No offense to men, girls just seem to be better when it comes to handwriting. I¡¯m no exception.


    I sigh, letting the stress take place as it quickly turns into an angry groan. This is why I fucking hate politics and all of these traditionalist shits. Most traditions I can get behind, the ones belonging to the Purebloods greatly so, as they completely forgo race and can be adopted by just about anyone. Their original society was based solely on the personal achievement of the individual, a tribal system very similar to that of the North-Kin of Valaran. There weren¡¯t nobles back in those days, but high chieftains chosen among the tribes who then reported to the kings and high king. Not as much was done back then, but people reported not to laws but to the public good. Rangers back then roved the tribes and made certain that the people did not abuse their freedom and still followed the teachings of the Primordial One and the Rowunes.


    That all changed with my great grandfather, though I have to agree that Eria wouldn¡¯t have survived long with the rest of the world looking towards Eria as a land wrought with danger and riches beyond reason, in the form of alchemic goods. Honestly, I just hate the fact that one can¡¯t be righteous and people are free of harm by the very law I¡¯m forced to uphold. Maybe once my power has improved to a greater degree, I¡¯ll be able to become the law, give greater freedoms to the Pact.


    I sigh in remorse.


    I just want to be a tyrant. To rip the way our nobility holds themselves asunder and take those who deserve to rule up in power. But I have to wait, otherwise I¡¯ll just add myself to the bodies.


    I won¡¯t fail Elizabeth, I won¡¯t fail Des¡¯ra, I won¡¯t fail Jor, I won¡¯t fail anyone else. The nobility will burn, the law be damned for protecting them from my wrath. I refuse to become like them, to torture innocents for sick satisfaction. To revel in the pain of those so much weaker than you it is disgusting. If I do, I will be spitting in the face of anyone who ever loved me and died to such tactics, and one should never damn the dead, ¡®lest they visit your hell and mock at your screams, as you mocked at the damnation you begged for them.¡¯


    I let my expression harden, thank the Primordial that the people in the first ring are all royal guard and those three fiercely loyal, though slightly deranged, servants. I can¡¯t let myself get so eccentric as easily as I just did, otherwise I would be too easily deposed by the nobility.


    It just can¡¯t wait to not be Queen.


    *******************


    Bart POV:


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived!¡± Guard


    With that, everyone on the cart shuts up and the previously terse atmosphere returns, reminding me of what I was thinking of before Shawn and I dispelled it. Okay, chances are it was nothing. It was the first time i¡¯ve had a hallucination, but I did get hit over the head about a month ago by some drunken idiot. Maybe it was that weird tasting yak milk I had the other day? See, lot¡¯s of reasons to have a hallucination. Definitely not a long dead goddess deciding to say fuck it, the arcanum is breaking.


    Ah hell, let¡¯s just focus on the job recruitment. It¡¯s a fool''s errand to worry about things you¡¯ve no control over or any way to plan against, I learned that little bit pretty quickly in life, nearly went old and grey when I was still twelve. Despite saying early in life, I¡¯m only fifteen, but according to literally everyone I know I¡¯ve acted more adult than some worthless runts that have the gall to call themselves adults.


    Heh, I¡¯ll be an adult next year! Then I¡¯ll be able to adopt Shawn and we¡¯ll be real brothers in law, name and trust, blood can go fuck itself for all I care.


    The others in the cart file out and Shawn and I leave as well, the boards creaking a little as a Bull-Kin gets up behind us, pushing the two of us to move faster and taking ridiculous strides for a cart. Bull-Kin always find a way to piss me off, as it would seem. Though the same can be said about all of those self important, discourteous, and all around dickish, musclehead freaks. I don¡¯t mind soldiers, they usually are taught discipline, courtesy and the like, but if they act go all primal on me I will stab someone.


    A pair of guards lead us from the front and back, security must be tight as hell. The majority of them are still the same old guards I remember, meaning that the huge influx of town guard and mercenaries was birthed from at least the fifth ring guardsmen. Probably everyone after them as well. Why else would they need almost two hundred and fifty Rangers? Two hundred for the walls and the other fifty for random patrol routes. It might seem a bit daunting at first glance of how much area is needed to be covered, but these are the best of the best, among the most battle hardened and capable of the nations warriors, most match up to even Royal Knights.


    While I¡¯m thinking that, we are led into a courtyard that looks like it was repurposed from a training grounds. They probably chose this place since it would be too dangerous to take us into the third ring for the ball room, since it¡¯s the fucking third ring, and has a balcony above us that has a rather obvious purpose. I look at some of the others in here, a few guards line the walls and a sizeable number of city-goers stand in the sand filled arena like area. Shawn¡¯s pace falters for an instant, but that¡¯s enough to catch my eye. He¡¯s a second rank in swiftness, despite being fucking thirteen, and none of his movements are misplaced like that. I casually give a glance towards where he was looking and snapped my head back just as quickly, but he still managed to meet my eyes.


    WHY THE FUCK DID HE HAVE TO BE HERE!!

 Chapter 10

    Gabriel POV:


    ¡°So, mind explaining what just happened?¡± Kelleran


    I look at him with an expression of confusion. Why is he acting weird? He¡¯s unusually defensive and obviously trying to play tough, though the act doesn¡¯t work too well with me, after all, I¡¯m trained to pay attention to his cues.


    ¡°I am not sure as to what you are referring, milord.¡± Gabriel


    His eyes bug out for a second at the ¡®milord.¡¯ Not surprising, I¡¯m trying to be more respectful for the new Queen. It isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t respect him, mostly, it¡¯s more so that I don¡¯t want to push my luck with my new overlord. Hmm, that didn¡¯t come out right, now I sound like a bootlicker. Anyways, I know for a fact that Kelleran could care less about titles and the like, though I¡¯m not so rude as to call him by his first name. He¡¯s still my boss and were not exactly friends, more two individuals with similar goals and similar environments, though we are not friends. I suppose allies is a good word.


    ¡°All right, I¡¯ll be direct about it. Did you just kiss my daughter.¡± Kelleran


    He said it more as a statement than as a question, as if he already knew the answer. I, however, understood where this was all coming from immediately. Probably thought that the Queen¡¯s little outburst was born of intimate contact.


    ¡°Firstly, no, secondly, we have a problem. Did you know that your mistress was a Primal Beast-Kin?¡± Gabriel


    He looked a little aggravated at the reference to Cecilia¡¯s mother as a mistress, but the fuck do you expect me to say! You never actually clarified the relationship, and you. Were. Married! However, once he realised what I was saying, he paled. A more reasonable reaction, seeing how it implies that we very well may be losing this entire political game simply because someone realizes she¡¯s acting a bit too shamelessly.


    And in case you''re wondering, it¡¯s not the Erian Beast-Kin I¡¯m worried about, it¡¯s the diplomats. The diplomat that the Beast-Kin Principalities are sending has a nephew with him that is apparently a godlike warrior talent, and is also within the acceptable age range for their right. If the Principalities get to have their way with her majesty, Eria will become a brand new puppet state, or as they call it, principality. And no, we can¡¯t deny the request for the right to be performed because that will spark a revolt in which the Principalities will, yet again, get to interfere. Afterwards, the rest of the world try and swoop in to ¡®liberate¡¯ Eria from the Principalities and either fail or win and put on a figurehead who will bankrupt the country for ridiculous trade deals. As long as the nation is stable, they will help protect it. Once that stability is gone, it¡¯s every man for himself.


    ¡°This is bad.¡± Kelleran


    ¡°Yup.¡± Gabriel


    He starts brooding, no doubt going over different solutions for the problem.


    ¡°Can we seat her near the baron families?¡± Kelleran


    ¡°The North-Kin noblemen will object to it and call into question why she would be sitting with those obviously weaker than her. The Beast-Kin aren¡¯t stupid, they¡¯ll realize it long before the ceremony is over and we can hide her away for the next few weeks.¡± Gabriel


    He just sighs.


    ¡°Alright, tell me your worst case solution?¡± Kelleran


    Crap, why do I always have to think these up?


    ¡°Hahh~, find her someone applicable the night before the ceremony and let them go at it for a few hours. But we both know that wouldn¡¯t work for a lot of reasons.¡± Gabriel


    She¡¯d most likely get pregnant, hate us for all eternity, and not to mention there aren¡¯t that many people powerful enough to satisfy her instincts, while also young enough to satisfy her instincts. I fit the bill, but having sex for political reasons just doesn¡¯t sit well with me.


    ¡°Scratch that, we could have her become infertile, which is infinitely worse.¡± Gabriel


    You have no idea how difficult it is to legitimize an adoption for nobility, especially when that adoptee is supposed to become the heir to the fucking nation. I once had to work on the paperwork for a baron¡¯s adoption, I owed the guy a favor, and had to have way too many oaths sworn and then the paperwork! Argh, I wrote half a books worth just for all the references and research notes for the traditions of that county. A month of my life, wasted, in my opinion.


    He sighs but it quickly turns into a groan and nearly becomes a shout. His hands were over his face, exemplifying his anger.


    ¡°What''s the best option?¡± Kelleran


    That was slightly more difficult to answer. I ponder for a minute before finally giving him my answer.


    ¡°Make the ceremony to take place a few days earlier than previously planned and push up our time tables, after that, schedule a hunt as celebration in place of a banquet feast. Physical exertion can stave off the effects of a heat, which I get the feeling the other Primals and North-Kin at the ceremony will be more than thankful for. I¡¯ll also have the underlings go through the archives for just about anything that could stave off a heat¡¯s effect.¡± GabrielA case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    He broods for another minute, mulling over my suggestion. This could be risky, we need every minute for training, after all. We are trying to give birth to a noble in just under three weeks, where as most have years to build their facades. Not to mention how likely it is that she die at the end of this little scheme of ours. After a while, he nods and we both head for the door. I open it and usher him through before myself. That little ¡®open the gates¡¯ tradition of ours only applies to important events, otherwise it¡¯d be kinda stupid to have your ruler go through every doorway first without checking for traps and the like.


    That right there is a recipe for idiocy.


    I click my tongue at Vanar, leading him to perk up immediately and start towards me, a lazy expression on his face. Lazy mutt, if it were up to him he¡¯d just sleep all day without doing anything. I decide to try and head over to the base of the tower. It would be a breach of etiquette to go up the tower to her room, but that is the best place to go for a chance at finding her. That or the baths, but that assumption is based on her being part reptilian.


    Vanar then snaps his head towards the east for some reason and gives an all too familiar reaction. He¡¯s hearing a commotion, probably smells blood as well.


    Shit


    *********************************


    Cyrus POV:


    This has been an extremely tiring past few days. Since I¡¯m one of the only Royal Knights that isn¡¯t tied down with preparing to spread word about Cecilia, it¡¯s kind of hard to create a royal out of nowhere, so I¡¯ve been training as a champion as backup. My training schedule has been ramped up, and I already had a sadistic training instructor. They can¡¯t use people like Grand Ranger Y¡¯sar and Ranger General Y¡¯mar, or even Saran for that matter, because of the age difference. If you are using a champion to challenge your enemy, the champion is not allowed to be too much older than the challenged.


    Be too unfair otherwise to bring in some random Wood-Kin blademaster who¡¯s been alive longer than your entire family house. There is a five year allowed difference in age, but this also consigns to the use of a proxy. If no licensed Champion stands within the given age range, you must utilize a willing proxy of the rank of knight.


    I am one of the few knights of close enough age, and the best warrior in that group. Most would be rather sore about that, seeing how I¡¯m a spearmen. Throw me in the stockades for all I care, I just don¡¯t like swords.


    It never helped me that I¡¯ve been having yet another strange dream, this time of some box shaped assassin hanging around a criminal book. It also didn¡¯t help that I am being forced to look intimidating for the new servants. I mean, why are we intimidating them? No criminal would... be¡­


    WHY THE FUCK ARE THEY HERE!?!


    ********


    Y¡¯sar POV:


    Hmm, I¡¯ve got a bad feeling. It¡¯s not a feeling that says ¡°I¡¯m going to die,¡± but it¡¯s not one I¡¯m all that comfortable with either. Like a, ¡°your allies are about to start killing each other,¡± feeling.


    I should probably stop that.


    I am already outside, third ring. The Royal Guard division of the Royal Knights aren¡¯t all that keen on letting us Rangers go into the inner two layers, which I don¡¯t mind all too much. Less area for us to patrol. I take out a coin, a copper sparrow, so let¡¯s say it¡¯s the outer ring. I then flick it upwards into a spin. It drops and I look to where the beak is pointing.


    Okay, so, training field of the outer layer. Anything going on in there? There was that first wave of servants due to come in for internship and interview. Wasn¡¯t Loudmouth supposed to be there? Yeah, probably. He was a bandit when he was just a kid if his profile is correct. So chances are he ran into an old associate.


    I should probably stop this before it gets too bad. I have long since learned to listen to my instincts, bad things happen when I don¡¯t. After all, I¡¯m not lucky, I just know how what it feels like when I¡¯m unlucky, and do the opposite of that.


    I pass by a few of my fellows, they are all rather interesting fellows in their own rights. A few of them are escaped hybrid slaves that my brothers brought back from their homelands. Really, deny a person their ambition long enough and they have it become part of themselves.


    That or they break. Met too many of them, think that countess Saran is always avoiding had a few family members that went that way. Really should find out how the hell she turned into a countess. Also gotta find out why Saran avoids her like the plague, I mean, she¡¯s pretty good looking and finding any way to get a lady sweaty and exhausted is time well spent *wink wink* *nudge nudge*


    Seriously though, I need to get a proper intelligence network going. We have a Ranger on the throne now, so we don¡¯t have to worry about the spymaster getty antsy about our activities. I mean, the last king had a lot of ties to the Pact, he removed our moniker of vigilantes and rebels, but sometimes he just wasn¡¯t willing to go far enough. Not that Kelleran wasn¡¯t ruthless, but five years isn¡¯t that long to set to work about systematically start removing the corrupt from office. We were made official before then, but the death of his lover sent him over the edge in some regards.


    I eventually make it to the training field just as the fresh batch of servants enter in. I trail my eyes all over the place, noting everything. The dummies were taken out, leaving behind little metal holes, meant to hold the dummy in place. Never understood why the mannequins are called dummies. Guess it¡¯s because they can¡¯t call them idiots since the drillmaster will be screaming that at the recruits.


    Oh my, that brings back memories of when Cecilia was learning how to fight. She was terrifying to fight, not because she was good with her weapons, but because I was mostly afraid she¡¯d end up killing herself. Kelleran would have killed me.


    My eyes lock onto a rather vigilant looking Cyrus, who is at the moment scanning the area with his gaze. Good, I suppose my instincts wasn¡¯t ri--


    Cyrus¡¯ face flashes with absolute rage as he hoists his spear into grip that would be better used for stabbing. I start walking out at a brisk pace, erupting from the arched tunnel that led from to the guardhouse from the previous ring. This is one of the only non-gated rings, simply because the guardhouse is surrounding it on all sides. None of Cyrus¡¯ compatriots are paying attention to him, probably because he is their superior officer and most likely trust his judgement.


    A good policy, but bad for me.


    I follow his gaze, he is moving down into the lower leveled training field. It¡¯s built like that to give the drill instructors a better line of sight on everyone. I finally find who he¡¯s after, a pair of kids wearing dirty, thickly padded clothes. Both have panic in their eyes, which are well hidden with their expressions, but the eyes never lie. So, they have experience with life or death situations, despite their young ages.


    That¡¯s bad.


    Cyrus¡¯ pace started to quicken and the would-be servants were parting the way for him, there was a look of bloodlust on his face.


    That¡¯s worse.


    Need to do this in a way that maintains our authority. At the edge of the field, I stop and cup my hands around my mouth to make a shouting stance.


    ¡°Cyrus! The Queen is waiting for you! Get over here already!¡± Y¡¯sar


    That snaps him of his focus and he gets a conflicted expression as he snaps his head back and forth between me and his almost victims. Eventually he starts walking towards me and we both head off towards the arched tunnel, not speaking a word. His frustration mounting with every step. Once we step out of earshot he turns and goes to speak. His voice is full of venom and frustration.


    ¡°What does the Queen want?¡± Cyrus


    ¡°Oh, nothing really, just for you to stop being a dumbass and attack people in the middle of a crowd. You do realize that if I hadn¡¯t stopped you, Cecilia could very easily lose the trust of the common people.¡± Y¡¯sar


    Realization dawns on him and his face pales. Good, he¡¯s not a buffoon, or obstinate, though that temper of his needs some working. Small side effect of ferocity, people with a bad temper usually only make it to rank five, but they get better at controlling said temper over time.


    Otherwise, they don¡¯t make it too far. Their limbs though, those go real far.


    A bell starts ringing to the west of us. The bell signifies some form of intruder, meaning there¡¯s someone I have to kill. That or a something, I would prefer a something.


    non-Kinnic fighting patterns are more interesting.


    Cyrus and I share a glance before we start jogging off in that direction.


    I hope the others don¡¯t kill it before I get there!

 Chapter 11

    Cecilia POV:


    As I¡¯m walking down the tower, I hear the ringing of bells coming from a little to the east. If I¡¯m remembering correctly, those are the same bells I heard¡­ the day¡­


    I think I need to let off some steam.


    I speed walk a bit farther down the hall where I can hear the clanking of metal boots. It¡¯s a team of Royal Guard, most likely sent to secure me and prevent any assassins from taking use of the spread in security. The one leading this detachment of Guardsmen is the same guard that accompanied me the other day, though I don¡¯t think he told me his name. If he did, I probably didn¡¯t remember it, I wasn¡¯t ever really good with names unless I was putting on the mask.


    God I hated that damn thing, but being a ¡°ditz¡± managed to keep Talia disinterested. Even after I was removed from her employ she was dead set on my position as her¡­ I think she called me her friend once, but I¡¯d rather see her dead than most other outcomes for practically every scenario.


    Still, a girl can dream, and that I do, quite often.


    I come directly in front of the man leading the Royal Guard as his men form up around me. The man speaks as he ushers me to follow, his voice was rather deep.


    ¡°Unknown intruders in the fourth ring, don¡¯t know how they got there, but we¡¯ll find that out later. We¡¯re taking you to the tower, safest place in the palace.¡±


    I shook my head in disagreement.


    ¡°Nope, I¡¯m fighting.¡± Cecilia


    I seriously need to work off what I just felt. He simply sighs in retort.


    ¡°No, your majesty, you¡¯re going into the tower.¡± Guard


    Just as those words left his mouth, everything went dark.


    *************************


    Bart POV:


    My heart rate starts slowing down after I that Ranger saved us. We got lucky, and I came to a realization.


    There is no way in all hell, that we are staying here. That knight right there, last time we met, he wasn¡¯t a night. He was a kid bandit, who my brother swindled. My brother was a conman, and he got a gold sparrow out of that guy for a bottle of crappy wine that he was spinning off as some healing tonic. Shawn was about six at the time, but he never forgets a face, it¡¯d be troublesome to get recognised by one of your previous marks.


    I glance at Shawn, he just nods in affirmation, his face still a little pale from that near encounter. One of the guards steps forwards at the head of the pit and starts to say something before a bell starts ringing from somewhere behind us. Everyone starts looking around as the guards all glance at one another and start shifting in their spots.


    ¡°MAXWELL, take your men and keep the servants secure! EVERYONE ELSE, with me!¡± Captain


    And just like that, most of the guardsmen started off in the direction of the sixth rings wall. The last remaining guardsmen started trying to guide us into the main building.


    Trying being the key word.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?!¡± Random Man


    ¡°W-What¡¯re you going to do to us?!?¡± Random Woman


    ¡°IT¡¯S ALL GOING TO BE FINE! JUST FOLLOW U--¡± Guardsmen


    Just as he was speaking, an arrow lodged itself into his jugular. The crowd went silent for an instant, everyone gazing at the man as he slowly falls to his death. His shield fell from his grip and clanged on the ground as he dropped to his knees, clutching at his throat. Another arrow fell, this time hitting a guardsmen on another side of the pit, though this one hit him straight in the eye, killing him instantly.


    The people in the pit started going crazy and only then did I notice that the other guards starting to group up around what I suspect to have been their leaders. The people in the area start making breaks for the other exits, but then the arrows started pouring down on everyone. People were dropping left and right, but instead of heading for the building like everyone else, we started making a break for the guards who had already dropped deads.


    Or rather, we were heading for their shields. Their nice, large, safe, metal reinforced, wooden shields. Dead people don¡¯t need protection, right? Shawn gets there first, damn legs. For an instant, I feel something go through my neck. I slow for an instant, the sensation leaving as quickly as it came, but what I see makes my eyes widen in horror. I slowed by maybe a second, but right where I would have been if I hadn¡¯t slowed down, an arrow flies down. I don¡¯t stop though, just letting out a quick mental thanks to the Primordial and my lucky moon for saving my halfbreed ass.


    I catch up to my brother less than a second later and pick up a shield, immediately hiding behind it as I back away under the roof. I apparently was going into the same tunnel that had taken us into here. Once I know for a fact that death isn¡¯t going to get rained down upon me, I finally look behind myself. There are a few shuddering and fear filled applicants, plus my brother with a the other shield. It looks like these are the other survivors that had managed to run out, at least to this side. I notice two better armed survivors, the guards. I take a quick glance towards the pit, feeling the need to wretch as I see the gruesome dead. There were about 42 applicants, not including us, and 20 guardsmen. I can see about 13 dead guardsmen and 23 dead applicants. I try and think through the wave of disgust and nausea, going over the facts. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    There was the bell, which the guardsmen knew about, and obviously had them unsettled. Then everyone started panicking. The archers were surrounding the pit, otherwise they couldn¡¯t have hit the guardsmen on both sides, they also had to have been damn good shots, they hit one man in the eye. You can call that luck, but after seeing them also hit another man in the throat, in the gap between his chainmail and Erkin leathers, I am inclined to disagree.


    The guards are talking to one another, though the way they are going about it is all wrong. They are huddled into a corner, not speaking a word above a whisper, which is wreaking serious havoc on everyone''s nerves. Mine unincluded, after all, how else do you expect me to escape some of the situations that I do? I just ran through a hail of arrows and was stared down by a knight that¡¯s out to kill me, a Royal Knight, might I add, and I still haven¡¯t fainted!


    Anyways, they need to stop doing that, will end badly, without doubt. I walk over towards them, their backs still facing me. I walk quietly, a slight habit I picked while going up over the years. However, the things I hear from them make me want to slit both their throats. How can I hear them? You might ask? The answers simple, I¡¯m part woodkin and they have absurd hearing in most cases, better than most Beast-Kin, though still not enough to hear a fly a thousand feet away like some will tell you.


    Anyways, you probably want to know what they were saying, right?


    ¡°I thought you said the attack was supposed to happen tomorrow!¡± Guard #1


    Yeah¡­.


    *************************************


    Gabriel POV:


    I walk as fast as I can while I have Vanar keep a watch out for assassins. I can¡¯t walk that fast, a side effect of the nature of my legs. Did you know that Prosthetics are a bitch to walk in? I DID!


    I¡¯ve been making my way towards the tower, where the meeting point for council members is. The tower itself has a small compartment on it, a door very much like the ones the city builders had scattered along the city after the old capital was burned. The only difference being, it¡¯s about ten thousand times more complex.


    As in, it constantly changes. I mean, it took a Wood-Kin¡¯s entire life to form a codex capable of deciphering the damn door! The inscription is a weird one, a story, one that has been coming closer and closer to it¡¯s end over time. Thing is, it¡¯s not written in Eldar, it¡¯s written in something that¡¯s only been found in a few other places in the world. That¡¯s what we refer to as Metal-Kin, simply because everything that was written by them is a type of metal that can¡¯t be melted or chipped. We can¡¯t decipher any of it, as well, which is really funny to watch given how much a certain friend get¡¯s when he finds something he can¡¯t read.


    At all.


    Wish he wasn¡¯t so dubious though, honestly, there are bandit gangs less shady than him.


    I round another corner, and come right up the place where the doorway to the tower is. I trace my hand over the runes, and come across the grid section that contains the current day¡¯s entrance rune. I halt for a second before opening it. Confusion gripping me.


    It¡¯s not the same rune it was before. Before, the rune was a random letter, or word, in the Metal-Kin¡¯s tongue. Now, it¡¯s an eye, a colored eye. The color being an almost luminescent golden and red, shifting from angle to angle. At the eye¡¯s center rests a pure, black, pupil. The symbol is something I¡¯ve seen before, but I can¡¯t place it. All I remember from it is some strange sense of foreboding¡­.


    And the smell of roast chicken, oddly enough.


    I tear my eyes away from it, promptly turning the dial and watching in wonder as the door opened in a theatrical feat, sections of the stone sliding around in weird patterns towards each direction of the door, defying gravity and the laws of motion. The mechanics in this wall must be top notch, but no one can look at them because that would involve removing the nearly impenetrable stone of the towers wall. We say impenetrable, but that¡¯s because nothing in this world can be truly impenetrable.


    Right?


    I scurry quickly inside, Vanar returning from his watch to follow. Once we¡¯re inside, I turn a rune to close the door, then quickly moving down the stairwell that flows downwards from here. Vanar makes fearful and agitated whines, caves being entirely out of his comfort zone. I turn around and place a hand on his head, curling my fingers to begin scratching right behind his ears.


    ¡°Bellan, bellan. Bellan Urus Vanar. Calm, calm. Calm Little Hunter.¡± Gabriel


    Yes, yes, I know. It¡¯s a mushy turn of phrase, but it works. You would be surprised at the amount of the Old Tongue that this mutt has picked up. I don¡¯t care if you believe that it¡¯s impossible for animals to be that smart, but Vanar is just something else. Plus, physical magics a thing, again, so sue me for thinking my dog is smarter than some of the idiots I enjoy blackmailing so damn much.


    I mean, you beat the shit out of a servant and thought I wouldn¡¯t fucking notice when said servant showed back up with a black eye! Honestly, you were just begging me to hogtie you into a deeper sense of loyalty to king and country.


    I shake my head a few times, didn¡¯t mean to get that deep into the memory. I lean back up and start back down the stepped pathway. I notice a few things on my adventure as well. The patterned starstone is somewhat¡­ different to how I remember it being. I never really studied them, but I certainly don¡¯t remember that picture of a hooded woman standing over the a field of corpses whilst holding a pair of curved blades. I shake my head twice before continuing down the path, not taking note of any of the further scrawlings of dead men and forgotten peoples.


    The path continues like this for a time, and eventually I reach the bottom. The room at the bottom has four connected doorways, and is roofed by a ceiling of blue stone and starstone in the same positions as the night time stars. The moon is missing from this chart, but that¡¯s understandable.


    In the room is a group of Royal Guardsmen line the walls, two to each door. Saran is also down here, standing at attention and guarding the door, like he¡¯s supposed to. He sees me and relaxes a good bit, before he goes over to a chair in the room. I can¡¯t see the room in it¡¯s entirety, as the stairwell comes in straight through the center.


    ¡°So, are the others here? What about her majesty?¡± Gabriel


    He looks at me queerly for an instant before shooting a question at me in return.


    ¡°Since when are you respectful of your liege?¡± Saran


    I take a seat across from him, not needing to undo the straps for my legs as the chair was made at just the right height for it to be comfortable for my prosthetics.


    ¡°Since said liege didn¡¯t choose me to be a part of council, apparently has a temper to fear rather completely, and--¡± Gabriel


    He cuts me off with a slight grin forming on his lips.


    ¡°Is a pretty lady~?¡± Saran


    I just sigh and shake my head at him, rubbing the bridge of my nose with my right hand and supporting my right elbow with the left.


    ¡°Saran, do you remember that baroness from Herksley?¡± Gabriel


    He makes an ¡®o¡¯ with his mouth and nods in confirmation.


    ¡°Right, right. My bad. But really though, you should try to find yourself a lady at some point. You¡¯re already eighteen and have nary a friend--¡± Saran


    I raise up my hand and correct him.


    ¡°Tan and Jacob count.¡± Gabriel


    He just rolls his eyes at me.


    ¡°Sorry, nary a sane friend to speak of, let alone female friends. It would do your temperament some good, especially with all the stresses you usually go through. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed you going grey in the hair.¡± Saran


    Right, I forget how strong this guys paternal instinct is regarding me is. Still trying to figure out just why he actually gives a damn, but regarding my severe lack of family, i suppose it¡¯s for the best. Not to mention he isn¡¯t wrong. My entire life seems to be swallowed up by these fucktards who are supposed to represent the best of the Kin.


    ¡°Back on topic, are the others here, and is Her Majesty safe?¡± Gabriel


    It wouldn¡¯t do for someone on the council to die out of nowhere. Not that I particularly like Tor, he creeps me out and, in my opinion, has crossed loyalties between the monarch and his precious clans. But, the same can be said of many different nobles in the land, mostly the Stone-Kin and Beast-Kin though, everyone else has held a grudge at their ancestral brothers for not offering aid during the Great Upheaval.


    ¡°Yes, the others are all in the common room, and Lady Kelleran is currently unconscious in her room. Tychus was forced to knock her unconscious and carry her into the bunker.¡± Saran


    Ouch. I turn my head towards the living statue and nod my head towards him.


    ¡°Good luck there.¡± Gabriel


    Then I look back at Saran, a particular question returning to my mind.


    ¡°By the way, did you notice anything different regarding the sealing on the door mechanism? The symbol was completely di--¡± Gabriel


    An angered shout interrupts me, it¡¯s source from the room meant for housing Her Majesty.


    ¡°WHO THE HELL KNOCKED ME OUT!!¡± Cecilia


    I think Tychus just flinched.

 Chapter 12

    Cecilia POV:


    Okay, knocking me out, that was justified, after all, I was ready to fly out of there and probably get myself killed. Bringing me down here, that was their job, and I can accept that. So maybe, I might just be overreacting when I say that I want to beat Tychus¡¯ face in, and yes, I just remembered his name from somewhere. So, I will be brutally honest, do I care about whether or not I¡¯m overreacting?


    The answer won¡¯t surprise you.


    ¡°WHO THE HELL KNOCKED ME OUT!!¡± Cecilia


    Whilst trying to get up in this strange nightgown-.. oh I swear, if someone other than a woman put me in this thing, I will not be happy.


    I hear the sound of a pair of chairs scrape across the floor as they are pushed back, hurriedly. Me, I¡¯m still inspecting this nightgown to make sure it isn¡¯t, well, like some of the ones mom gave me. I hear some metal clacking across the stone floor and heavy boots accompanying it. As I¡¯m satisfied with the lacking of any intentional holes existing in my dress, get up off of the surprisingly comfortable bed.


    Actually, now that I think about it, where am I? I know for a fact that it was the Guard who knocked me out, none of them seemed as if anything were amiss the instant prior, and Tychus sounded as though it was intentional. They said they were bringing me to the tower, but I have yet to have seen this room. Is it a hidden room? This is the palace, after all, everything here has some manner of hidden passageway or another.


    The opening of the door catches my attention and snaps me from my thoughts. I turn my head towards the pair who¡¯s looking in here, it¡¯s Saran and that one. I don¡¯t even care if my desire to challenge comes from my heat, but for now, I¡¯ll just dislike him.


    Way easier that way.


    ¡°Care to explain?¡± Cecilia


    My tone was cold and very much so similar to me when I¡¯m angry, but I¡¯m not quite there yet. I would be really angry if someone stole all my stuff while this was going on or tried something funny, like claim I¡¯m going to marry them for breaking their shoddy fucking door handle as repayment. Ah, that was pretty relaxing seven minutes and twelve seconds. I wonder if that sleazeball found someone who could put his dislocated arm back together again? Not that anyone in that village would have done so, a few of the village boys and girls were thanking me profusely for that little incident. Hard to imagine someone would help out a piece of scum like that.


    He was the first to start talking, a questioning look in his eye.


    ¡°According to Saran, you were resisting the Guard, so they went with plan B and knocked you out. The warning bells were going off in several locations, last I heard, so going out is an impossibility. Also, no, no male is allowed to see you naked. Your personal servant was brought down here, or at least she should have been. Also, have you met your personal servant? She was running all over the place yesterday with, what I assume to be, her stuff. But from what I remember about her, she can be a little¡­ well, honestly, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a word for it. You¡¯ll find out oNCE SHE GETS THE HELL OUT HERE!¡± Gabriel


    The last part wasn¡¯t an angry shout, more a shout one gives once giving an obvious order, that is posed as a part of the previous conversation. Also, to clear away any non-existant doubts I may have had to the opposite, a Wood-Kin girl peeks her head out of the base of the bed. Wait, that¡¯s the same woman who stole all of my equipment!


    Why the fuck was she sleeping there?!


    ¡°But I¡¯m right here?¡± Girl


    ¡°Hahhh~. Of course you¡¯re sleeping underneath her fucking bed. You know you have a bed, right?¡± Gabriel


    ¡°Of course I do, but there¡¯s a state of alarm on and I need to be constantly at the ready to give my life for my Queen.¡± Girl


    The girl spoke in a reverent tone while looking at me. Slightly too loyal, isn¡¯t she? Gabriel just rolls his eyes at her and speaks in a voice dripping with sarcastic flare.


    ¡°Oh yes, because you are so capable of taking any attempts the floor may have on her life. Who knows, maybe the underside of her bed is plotting against us? Probably just waiting to revolt.¡± Gabriel


    The girl gets a pissed look on her face.


    ¡°You expect me to sleep on top of her?¡± Girl


    He just snorts before promptly answering.


    ¡°No, I expect you to sleep in your quarters.¡± Gabriel


    ¡°Fuck you.¡± Girl


    ¡°While I appreciate the sentiment, really, to have a beautiful girl such as yourself offer yourself up, I believe it¡¯s time you introduce yourself to the lady you¡¯ve been watching sleep.¡± GabrielUnauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    He was motioning towards me at that last part. Wait, was she watching me sleep? I hope to God not, that¡¯d be terrifying. She growls at him before I¡¯ve figured that I¡¯ve had enough of this.


    ¡°Stop. I¡¯m tired, and you have been running around all over the place with my stuff. Also, close the door, minister, I¡¯m unseemly and would rather not be seen by men at the moment. Also, I agree with the introducing yourself part, because not much has been making sense in the past few hours.¡± Cecilia


    Gabriel nodded and close the door, but I heard Vanar growl, which caused him to pause for a moment before slamming it shut. I notice a tinge of color on his cheeks, which made me realize what reaction that dog just had. Or rather, the one I just had.


    Fuck my ancestors¡­


    ¡°Um, milady? Are you okay? You¡¯ve gone red as a beat.¡± Girl


    FFFFUUUUUUUUUU-


    ¡°Yes, yes, perfectly fine.¡± Cecilia


    I managed to reign myself in and gave a rather polite answer, and I think I¡¯m smiling rather disarmingly. The girl looks disarmed, or calmed? Yes, that¡¯s probably the right word.


    ¡°Now, can you just tell me everything I need to know about you? We¡¯ll be working together for a while, and I know how annoying it can be for the servant if their charge doesn¡¯t give a damn about them. Plus, it will help me get an idea about how we can best work together.¡± Cecilia


    She beams me a smile that could melt ice. Looks like they pay her enough for those teeth care potions. Good for her. Come to think about it, I wonder how much I made? Mom always kept my wages when I served Talia, so I suppose I never really found out how much I actually earned for my work.


    I really hope it wasn¡¯t much, otherwise I would feel the need to punch my mom.


    If she were still around, that is.


    The girl got out from underneath the bed and kneels in front of me, getting on both knees and stretching both hands outstretched. it ¡®s an introduction a servant gives to their master, obviously different to one that a person gives to their liege.


    ¡°Ti¡¯sha, Your Majesty. I served under Minister Tor until recently when my contract was transferred over to you. I¡¯m a debt servant, but don¡¯t let that fool you, I am one of the best around. I have been doing this for fifty years!¡± Ti¡¯sha


    Fifty?


    ¡°How old are you?¡± Cecilia


    She looks away bashfully. Oh don¡¯t you fucking dare.


    ¡°Milady that¡¯s an awefull--¡± Ti¡¯sha


    ¡°Nope, we¡¯re not doing this. You look like you''re twenty and that¡¯s all you care about. Now tell me your age and don¡¯t play the bashful little innocent princess. Or servant, in this case. I¡¯m not a man¡± Cecilia


    She just gives me a blank look that conveys more meaning than words.


    ¡°One hundred. I¡¯m one hundred.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    I raise an eyebrow.


    ¡°Really, one hundred years flat.¡± Cecilia


    The question was more a statement than anything else. I knew her game, it¡¯s a common game among women. She just sighs and starts hanging her head.


    ¡°Fine, one hundred and fifteen.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    Thank you mom for all your lessons.


    ¡°So you¡¯re one hundred and seventeen years old then?¡± Cecilia


    I flash her a smug smile as she looks at me wide eyed. What, never had someone know your act before hand? It shouldn¡¯t be that surprising, you¡¯re not the first woman I¡¯ve ever met. Hell, I AM one. Well, technically, I¡¯m turning sixteen at the end of my¡­ choosing stage. Unlucky how those dates line up with one another.


    Crap. I¡¯m never going to have a normal birthday again.


    ***********************


    Bart POV:


    If I had a knife right now, I would have sliced both their throats. These people are betrayers, the lowest of the low. Honor has many meanings throughout the world, in some nations honor is measured in how direct you are, like not fighting ¡°dirty¡±, and the like.


    A view that¡¯s seen as pure idiocy in Eria.


    In other nations, honor is measured by how many feasts are thrown for you, or how much renown you have in the area.


    This one is also seen as idiotic to us.


    How do we measure honor? We don¡¯t, not publicly at least. Honor is directly bound to loyalty, and who you are loyal to. A man who is honorable is one who stands by your family and friends, one who stands by the law, one who stands by their duty, morals, their word, etc. In this aspect, even a thief can be seen as honorable. We recognise cunning as a gift, deviousness a quality, but one who stabs their friends in the back is pure, unadulterated scum. It is understood that one must sometimes choose between their loyalties, and are rarely spurned for such a choice, it would be foolish to do so, after all. Who knows when you yourself will be forced to choose.


    So, in essence, these guys deserve to rot in hell.


    Just wish I had a knife to help them on their way. I left it back at the warehouse because I thought it wouldn¡¯t be necessary, plus the guardsmen might have taken it away in their security checks¡­ why didn¡¯t they give us security checks? Don¡¯t tell me that everyone was in on this! THE FUCK!


    I grip my shield harder and look over towards Shawn. Right now, he¡¯s trying to calm down a Fox-Kin girl who¡¯s shaking like it¡¯s the dead of winter and crying. I swear, it¡¯s like he has an ever changing map that leads him straight to these girls, it¡¯s bullshit! The annoying thing is he hasn¡¯t hit the Beast-Kin equivalent to puberty yet so he doesn¡¯t actually understand the interest in relationships and that sort of thing, which is more bullshit!


    I go over to him just as the woman smiles at him, meaning that he¡¯s hit not paying attention phase and is probably about to swipe a few coins. He really is a bit over the top at times, I mean, really? We just got done with a near death experience, and right now he¡¯s taking advantage of the poor girl!


    It should be said that we prefer to steal when it¡¯s necessary and only from asshole merchants and the like. But Shawn here has the occasional problem of roving hands, in that regard. He doesn¡¯t take the time needed to find out who it is he¡¯s stealing from, or why they have so much or so little coin on them.


    I go over towards him and his eyes flicker towards me, I try to get closer, but the girl just goes and hugs him out of nowhere. Their is a great bit of confusion on his face, and a tinge of red, which manages to plaster confusion on mine.


    Complete bullshit.


    I just shake my head a few times and tap the girl''s shoulder. She looks over with a slightly fearful and confused expression.


    ¡°H-huh?¡± Girl


    ¡°Sorry ms?..¡± Bart


    She promptly releases my brother, much to his¡­ displeasure? And holds out a hand for me to shake.


    ¡°Oh, Cerene, I¡¯m Cerene. Nice to meet you.¡± Cerene


    Something doesn¡¯t sit right with me about this one¡­


    ¡°Bart, nice to meet you too. Now, can I borrow my little brother for a sec? There¡¯s something I need to talk to him about.¡± Bart


    She gets a hint of red on her face and looks down in an overexpression of fear and worry.


    ¡°O-okay¡­¡± Cerene


    Shawn gets a slightly panicked look on his face? What? He leans over and speaks in an¡­ well, I¡¯ve never heard this tone from him.


    ¡°Are you sure she can¡¯t stay a little longer?¡± Shawn


    I pull him over a bit closer.


    ¡°Shawn, not the time to start going into puberty. Firstly, we¡¯re in a life or death situation, secondly, you¡¯re definitely not thinking straight, and thirdly, I don¡¯t want to cause a panic with her hearing this.¡± Bart


    I hear another voice enter our whispered discussion.


    ¡°What would cause a panic?¡± Cerene


    FUCK BEAST HEARING!!

 Not a chapter, still important though

Yeah, just wanted to get some input on this because I really don''t want Cecilia''s position as main protagonist to be in jeporty of being forgotten.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    I will review these on Monday, 12/5/2016

 Chapter 13

    Cecilia POV:


    ¡°So your name is Ti¡¯sha, you¡¯re one hundred and seventeen years old, and you are only contractually obligated to serve me for the next two years. Though you are probably going to serve more than that? Why ¡®probably¡¯?¡± Cecilia


    She beams me another one of her smiles, seriously, does this woman think that her smiling at me will actually help her out that much? I already know that she isn¡¯t all sunshine and rainbows from that interaction with him, and I don¡¯t have all the body parts needed for option number two to work effectively.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a big fan of the other Royalty, and when I heard you were the Fire¡¯s daughter, I just had to meet you.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    Oh God that name.


    ¡°Are you alright milady? You¡¯re scowling.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    Right, right, appearances. Wait, how did she know I¡¯m mom¡¯s daughter?


    ¡°How did you know who my mother was?¡± Cecilia


    ¡°Oh that? Simple, Tor told me. I¡¯m one his most trusted servants and he told me in order to convince me to work for you. I don¡¯t have the highest regard for the other nobility, your youngest sister is a complete brat and Riker tried to ¡®woo¡¯ me several times by cornering me in a hallway. Boy¡¯s not even a man yet and he tries to get me in his bed! His twin, Trevor, he¡¯s not much better. Boy has issues, ones that would be well cleansed from him if he could almost die a few times. Teach him some courage and the like. Talia is a flat out bitch. And Jeremiah¡­¡± Ti¡¯sha


    I sigh and rub the bridge of my nose.


    ¡°He¡¯s been like that with everyone since he rejected his mother¡¯s lessons. Don¡¯t hold it against him. And if you know so much about my four eldest siblings, what do you know about the three younger ones? They didn¡¯t get as many lessons from their mother, after all.¡± Cecilia


    She nods at me before beginning.


    ¡°Elysia thinks Talia is a complete whore, and the Riker and Trevor are creepy. She wishes that Jeremiah took more responsibility and also keeps the younger two as far away from Talia, RIker, and Trevor as possible. Philip is a really shy one, and I think he has a crush on me, judging how he always went a bit red around me. The youngest one, well, she¡¯s a little princess toddler. A bit spoiled, if you ask me, but there isn¡¯t any real indication that it will end too badly. Also, I know that look, and I¡¯m not stalking them, Minister Tor usually visited balls to commemorate their birthing.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    The reason for her confused and disgruntled expression is simple, Erian tradition rarely takes age into account. We used to go off of a system known as the ¡°Marks of Maturation,¡± to distinguish ourselves above toddler and the like, a village idiot not being in possession of many marks, as you would imagine. The Marks measure mental age and capability, not age in years. The Marks are still used in three out of the five Erian duchies, Maria, Uria, and Esilia.


    In Adria, the Capital¡¯s duchy, and Dilia, the home duchy of the previous Queen, we have started adopting traditions from the rest of the world. This happened for two reasons, one being that the rulers of both duchies haven¡¯t been the most steadfast in our traditions, my grandfather more than my father, and that the majority of our trade and port cities lay in both duchies, as they are lined up along the only coasts that aren¡¯t filled with cliff faces.


    Minister Tor, if my memory serves me, is a count from Uria, the duchy just north of Adria that plenty of mountains. Uria mainly contains the Orc tribes and Stone-Kin. There are a few other things that have slowly been weeding their way into Eria, more so Dilia, which is a change in the language. You know how I¡¯ve been calling all the races with the -Kin attached? That¡¯s because, in Erian tradition, that is how people are called. Everyone shares a common ancestry, and therefore, are simply relatives with strange body parts and features. This tradition used to be more widespread, but then the Great Upheaval screwed everything to hell. Nowadays people have taken to using completely different names, like how the Stone-Kin have always referred to themselves as ¡®Dwarves¡¯ or how the people in Uria have been drawing racial boundaries. Thought that¡¯s just in Dilia, and the Rangers have been hard at work in that duchy. Not to mention the number of ¡°accidents¡± that seem to happen to the most protected of the nobility there.


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯ll be useful for the future. Also, I thought that my existance was to remain a state secret until I was already sitting on the throne?¡± Cecilia


    ¡°Oh, that? I¡¯m the personal servant of a highly trusted state official, which means I¡¯ve been looked over thoroughly. I¡¯m as trustworthy with secrets as the Minister of Affairs and Spymaster.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    Huh.


    ¡°Well, that should be everything, for now, I hope we get along well, miss Ti¡¯sha. Also, I haven¡¯t been paying the greatest amount of attention to the politics of most other duchies, so can you help me out with that?¡± Cecilia


    ¡°Oh, about that, I don¡¯t really pay much time gossiping with the rest of the servants and Minister Tor tends to keep away from any Noble business that doesn¡¯t directly involve him. Besides, you have the Minister of affairs to guide you on that front. Although I can understand your frustrations regarding him, he isn¡¯t proper in the least!¡± Ti¡¯sha


    Yeah, my reasoning is much, much worse than yours in the grand scheme of things. I mean, I only need to avoid him until this heat business is over, than I can actually worry about getting to know him. Until then, easier to dislike him simply because my body is telling me to do otherwise.


    Also, if you prefer people being proper, we are most likely going to be having soe issues when the nobility isn¡¯t around.


    ¡°Well, do you know where some more presentable clothing is, I¡¯d rather not be walking around in the middle of an assassination attempt in a nightgown.¡± Cecilia


    Also, yeah, if you¡¯re wondering why I¡¯m not panicking, ask Y¡¯sar.


    ¡°Yes , milady. Also, the seamstress finished a few of her pieces whilst you were out training and the like. She truly does make beautiful work.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    While saying this, she got up and walked over to a basket that was in the corner. It was full of white and blue, silver gilded robes, gowns, and clothes. The seamstress made all of these in less than a day? Does she never sleep? Well, she probably has a workforce under her, but still, and apparently she had another customer with similar measurements, so I suppose it wouldn¡¯t be that difficult for her. I just hope that the lady who she used to sell to had the right measurements, I always had ridiculous amounts of trouble regarding such things. You¡¯d think it would be easier, with Cow-Kin existing, but apparently not.


    Ti¡¯sha pulls out a pair of cloths, and starts walking towards me. I think those are undergarments, but the nice kind. Not the kind that hurt like shit and leave lines all over your torso, like my bandages. These are just the kind that are slightly constricting, but still stop the majority of problems. She then drops them on the bed next to me and kneels down at my feet, grabbing the hem of my gown. What is she- oh.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry, but could I do that alone?¡± Cecilia


    She just looks at me with a clueless expression.


    ¡°But I have to remain with you at all times, my Queen.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    ¡­.


    About that.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, really. I would just rather¡­ you know¡­ not be seen naked?¡± Cecilia


    She looks at me queerly again, is this woman dense?


    ¡°Why?¡± Ti¡¯sha


    Oh for the love of- REALLY!


    ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of someone seeing me naked, and would prefer it if you guarded the door, that alright?¡± Cecilia


    She beams me a smile. She then gets up and stands at the door, turning around to look at me.


    Making no move whatsoever to open the door itself.


    ¡°Soo~.¡± Cecilia


    She tilts her head in confusion. You have to be kidding me, this woman is over 100 years old!


    ¡°Oh my lord, leave the room!¡± Cecilia


    She knits her brows in confusion.


    ¡°But my lady, it is my duty to defend you with my life.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    I can see why Gabriel doesn¡¯t get along with her, this woman is impossible. Wait, don¡¯t think of him as anything else than bastard! I might actually get along with him at a critical time! Not until the end of my heat, after that, he¡¯s an incorrigible bastard.


    I see a strange twinkle in her eyes when my expression becomes more annoyed. Oh come on, did Tor have to send someone so difficult!


    ¡°Stop, I know your game, leave before I punch you out of spite.¡± Cecilia


    Her innocent expression turns little miffed and she starts mumbling something about being no fun at all. She opens the door and leaves, careful to make sure that anybody outside the door sees me.


    I sigh in relief, today has been fairly stressful, not to mention someone is trying to kill me, probably. Come to think of it, shouldn¡¯t I be more¡­ I don¡¯t know, panicked? Alert? Did I really get that fucked up by Y¡¯sar¡¯s training regimen? Maybe this is why soldiers and warriors in general are always so jumpy when they¡¯re not fighting, but I¡¯m not jumpy.


    Crap, I¡¯m confusing myself again. Once the undergarments are on, I realize just how revealed I am. I am not letting Ti¡¯sha see me this naked, I¡¯d go red as a beat. That incident with the other reptilians was different, I mean I hadn¡¯t hit puberty yet. Is it weird for a person to hit puberty at the age of thirteen? Maybe, if you¡¯re not a hybrid, we can be weird like that. Is it weird that person has been killing people since before that? Definitely. Is it weirder that that same person is embarrassed about people seeing them almost naked? I¡¯d say it¡¯s justified.


    I then start going through the basket, making note of all the clothing in it. There are some gowns for parties¡­. That are out of the question. The last buyer had to have been a courtier looking to stir up trouble, these are borderline indecent. The overrobes for them are nice, they are rather sturdy on the outside with a softer material lined on the inside, to prevent me from chafing. Of course, it comes with a hood. I¡¯m actually surprised that the gown didn¡¯t come with a little hood accessory, we are Erians after all.


    The next item was a combination of three different articles, an undershirt, some pants, and a more military-esque dress shirt. Well, jacket, kinda. I¡¯m glad that the seamstress managed to piece this together, I think I would go crazy if I was forced to run around in that damn gown, the thing has more in common with a towel than clothing. The rest of the basket was fillled with gowns of similar design to the first one and a few replicas of the clothing I chose to wear. I stand up, and lay the clothing on the bed beside, getting to work on putting it all on.


    The pants were comfy, and the undershirt soft, and the overshirt was hugging me rather closely, without being too tight. Overall, I very much so like this garb, it holds me like my armor but much lighter and much comfier.


    I then look around, sighing slightly as I realize that there is no sword or sabre for my personal use, gonna have to fix that when this is all over. I feel much better when I have a tool of murder at the ready.


    I then exit the room, taking note of everything I can see. There are two other doors I can see, evenly space from my own room, leaving room for what I assume to be a third door. The entire room is lit up by a simple circle of Starstone, and I notice small holes running through the ceiling. The stone is familiar, the same material as what the outside of the tower is made of. The stuff is durable as hell, they even had to rebuild the room at the top of the tower with softer materials on the inside.


    There is a table to my left that has three chairs surrounding it, one of its sides lining up along the wall. There sits Saran and the annoyance, yeah, that works as a name. Ti¡¯sha is¡­ somewhere. Saran sees me and stands up, causing Annoyance to stand up as well after he took a brief glance back at me. Both bowed. Gabriel then moved over and pulled out a seat.


    ¡°Please, take a seat, it would do you well to better understand our thoughts. Besides, Saran and I are about to become two of your most vital advisors, aside from the Spymaster, but damn me if he is ever forthcoming to anyone other than Tan, and Tan can be annoying as hell unless you get along with him, which I do, so yeah.¡± Gabriel


    I take the chair and move to push myself in, but he takes care of that for me. That was nice of- not completing that thought process. I place both hands onto the table and clasp them together, leaning in so that the sit directly in front of my face, hiding the majority of whatever expression I may take to. Usually it¡¯s used by drill instructors and businessmen to keep their target from seeing their smile, but it can work with hiding momentary facial twitches of pretty much every variety.


    Gabriel take his seat back, and I don¡¯t fail to notice the slight amount of difficulty he takes in pushing the chair back. It¡¯s understandable, he¡¯s missing a good portion of both legs and the prosthetics are meant more for standing than exertion. I¡¯m actually surprised that he managed to push me in, I mean, I am fairly light, a slight effect of the physical magical properties I talked about earlier, but I¡¯m still a woman sitting in a chair, that had to have been slightly difficult, at the least.


    ¡°Now then, I just want to ask you a question, how much do you understand about dueling? The public understanding of it and the actual laws pertaining to it are quite different, and the intricacies of a Royal duel even more so. Not even a majority of the knights truly understand it.¡± Gabriel


    This will most definitely prove useful.


    ¡°Two parties who hold a disagreement may engage in a challenge. The challenge must be brought and stated before a Rowune, to confirm its legitimacy, and should the challenged accept, they must engage in a form of combat as directed by the challenged. If the challenger is belonging to a higher station than the challenged, his wager for the challenge must be exponentially greater than that of the challenged. If the challenger is significantly weaker than the challenged, than, should the challenged refuse a duel, they must submit to the demands of the challenging party. A challenge may not force either party into a state of slavery, and has no power over the dissolution of family bonds, including marriage and engagement, and vice versa cannot forge a family bond.¡± Cecilia


    He nods, a pleased twinkle in his eyes as his permanent scowl lightens a deal. He eventually sits back and begins motioning with his arms as he spoke in a lecturing tone that wasn¡¯t conducive to his youthful appearance. Well, if you disregard the grays, a further mark that he¡¯s Erian, they age like Erkin shit.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit more than the average commoner knows, but it¡¯s different in regards to when Royalty is thrown into the mix. Ever since your great-great-grandfather took the throne, he made deposing the ruler a bit too easy. So, you can be deposed by a bearer of the title of Duke or Grand Duke, as long as they are not relatives which you were chosen over. A relative of the heir or heiress apparent may not challenge them for their station, lest they have the support of three of the five Dukedoms, twenty of the twenty five Counts, or sixty of the eighty Barons. Technically, you¡¯re the fifth duke, and possess one of each of the lower titles, but that still leaves three out of four Dukes to worry about. If they challenge you, they must present their candidate, in the case that they challenge you en-masse, and then that candidate may choose a champion to represent him from those warriors that willingly apply. The champion must be within five years of age in regards to either you, or the Champion you choose to represent you. You are granted freedom from execution by the decree of the challenger, but lose any claim to the throne you may have been gifted by the previous monarch. So, yeah. Those laws about marriage also apply, but we have another problem regarding that. As you are the blood of a Primal, the Beast-Kin nobility will expect you to adhere to their ¡°racial customs.¡± Another Primal of comparable age, skill, and station will be accompanying the diplomat from the Principalities on their diplomatic visit. As is his right, he can challenge to share the heat with you, which in tandem with our customs regarding such sexual relations, you will be forced to marry him. Obviously, that¡¯s a problem. We¡¯re moving up the time tables and scheduling a hunt, working you adrenaline in such activities can stave off certain effects of the heat and, should you catch the largest prize, it¡¯ll hopefully establish your dominance over the delegates.¡± Gabriel


    ¡­ okay firstly, how long as he been coming up with that, secondly, hot damn I underestimated him, and thirdly, my ears twitching. Hopefully this is what my ear is twitching about, I¡¯d rather not have more things to worry about. Speaking of which.


    ¡°While that¡¯s all well and good, I have a question. Am I going to have to marry anyone?¡± Cecilia


    He immediately flares both hands above his head.


    ¡°Not unless you fuck up bigtime. In which case, my condolences.¡± Gabriel


    Gabriel then picked up one of the mugs that had been left on the table, taking a long swig of the liquid inside, seeming to heartily enjoy himself in that moment.


    ¡°On the topic of marriage, Gabriel, anyone catching your eye? Or are you still trying to get your first kiss?¡± Saran


    Gabriel went bug eyed and started choking on the mug¡¯s contents, causing Saran to start laughing rather heartily. I myself can¡¯t help but offer a slight giggle.


    These people are nobles, but they act like actual people.


    Maybe there¡¯s hope for nobility yet¡­


    ¡­


    nah.

 Chapter 14

    Cecilia POV:


    This is so Goddamn boring. The only thing of any real interest that¡¯s happened in here was meeting Ti¡¯sha, and listening to Saran make fun of Gabriel. But that little discussion quickly turned into a shouting match that occurred mostly in the Old Tongue, a habit of people from the lesser populated areas of the nation. Erians have a strong pull to solitude, a characteristic that led them to a strong kinship with the Orcs before the Upheaval. Even now, the Orcs are only willing to negotiate with pure bloods, in all the rest of the world they are seen as a blight on creation, but in Eria they still hold respect for our ancient kinship, and are willing to cohabitate and keep their own people in line. However, that doesn¡¯t mean we share tastes in climate, the majority of Erians congregating in the outer forests of Maria, while the Orcs stay at their treacherous homes in the mountains of Uria, keeping to the overworld while the Stone-Kin keep to the underworld. Something about calming herbs found in the mountains, but whatever they are, I¡¯m content to let them be, and only kill the ones that make trouble.


    Then again, I feel that way about everyone.


    I had gone back into my room, as I didn¡¯t want to interrupt Gabriel and Saran¡¯s little yell match. It was obvious that neither really desired a true argument, they had grins in their eyes and occasionally they would start laughing uncontrollably for a few minutes, before shouting at one another again. I say shouting, but their voices were only slightly elevated, my hearing is a pain in the ass that way at times. A strength can be as much a weakness depending on its nature, that is a truth one can never deny.


    While staring up at the glowing roof of my room, tracing the patterns with my eyes, a knock comes at the door. I know who it is, the wheezing and groaning of his prosthetics, coupled with the clacking of his cane, are more than enough to tell me who is asking for me. He had stopped arguing with the Erass-Kin a while ago, I was mainly still here because self-reflection is rather calming and somewhat enjoyable to me.


    ¡°Come in.¡± Cecilia


    I opened my eyes and sat up abruptly. A few strands of hair found their way in front of my face, I really should start braiding it. The door cracks open and Gabriel pokes his head through, he looks like he wants to talk about something.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Cecilia


    ¡°I would like to speak with you regarding some other questions, since our previous discussion was interrupted and it will be some time before the Guards and Rangers have swept and purified the palace of any threats, so this seems like as good a time as any. May I?¡± Gabriel


    Ah, that would be more useful, and interesting, than being bored shitless, I suppose.


    ¡°Come in, just close the door behind you.¡± Cecilia


    He nods and follows my directive to the letter. I get up from my recumbent position and sit on the center of the bed with my legs crossed over one another. The leggings I¡¯m in are slightly uncomfortable when I sit this way, but it¡¯s not uncomfortable enough to have me change either my position or my attire.


    Gabriel Walks in and looks to either side for a chair, finding it to his right. Or is it my right? I have a terrible sense of direction when it comes to lefts and rights. He spots a chair and goes over to pick it up and move it. When he picks it up, I can¡¯t help but look strangely at him as he uses his back, which is by far the worst way he could¡¯ve picked it up. He then places the heavy looking wooden chair to the side of my bed while he drew in a few breaths of air, using his mouth more than his nose.


    ¡°You know, you really shouldn¡¯t use your back when lifting something that heavy looking.¡± Cecilia


    He looked like he wanted to reply, but he also wanted to breath, so in the end he decided to bang his prosthetic le- oh, yeah, that makes more sense. His legs probably aren¡¯t the best with extra weight, so he has to lift with his back instead of the legs.


    Eventually his breathing shallows and he sits in the chair.


    ¡°Sorry about that, milady, now then. I understand that you haven¡¯t actually left the county in your lifetime, and left the service of bi- I mean Talia before her coming of age, so you haven¡¯t much life experience outside of the duchy, at least. So, I¡¯m going to need to question you a little on your general knowledge.¡± Gabriel


    I was a bit amused when he nearly called Talia something beginning with bitch, there are many ways to extend the insult, but I also understood the purpose of his words. I nodded my understanding. He nodded back at me. The first words out of his mouth startled me a little, since they weren¡¯t Erian, they were Eldar. His voice was a little different in this tongue, slightly lower pitched as I came to notice his Marian accent, he has done well to hide it.


    ¡°First I need to make sure you can speak the learned tongue, as you will probably hear it in court. Reply that you understand in Eldar, please, and do that again for every other language I¡¯m about to speak, as well as name it for me.¡± Gabriel


    I replied in Eldar, my voice becoming a slight bit smoother, since one¡¯s accent somehow makes a great deal of affect on the pronunciations.


    ¡°I understand.¡± Cecilia


    He nodded and we exchanged several phrases in every tongue I could think of. There were some foreigners who fled to Eria in the Pact, and then there was everything I learned while listening in on Talia¡¯s lessons, plus the stuff mom taught me about the Beast and Wood-Kin tongues that my ancestors are apparently from. However, she always had a deeper respect for the Erians than for our homeland relatives. She told me that Erian strangers deserved more loyalty than our ancient kin who abandoned us during the Great Upheaval, and I¡¯m inclined to agree, rather profusely might I add. When we were finished, Gabriel nodded at me in approval, his face still set in it¡¯s overly serious state.


    ¡°Perfect, on every tongue. You¡¯re quite intelligent, aren¡¯t you?¡± Gabriel


    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°I was always listening in on Talia¡¯s lessons, and her tutor was forced to over explain everything. One good thing that¡¯s come from her being dumb as bricks with a superiority complex to boot.¡± Cecilia


    He smiled mischievously at me before continuing.


    ¡°I share your distaste about the girl. Now then, I¡¯ll give you a list of defining characteristics, and you reply with the race, yes?¡± Gabriel


    I nod at him.


    ¡°Ears at the top of their heads, tails, animalistic features, hair ranging from full body fur to normal hair residing mostly on the head and limbs. They mostly habitate the Duchy of Esilia. Lifespan around 100 years, though a large disparity depending on animalistic characteristic?¡± Gabriel


    Simple.


    ¡°Mammalian Beast-Kin.¡± Cecilia


    He nods.


    ¡°Tell me about the other variances of Beast-Kin.¡± Gabriel


    ¡°Each variance of Beast-Kin is highly disparate, the Mer-Kin and Reptilians are the only known variance, though there exist theories about an aviary form of Beast-Kin on some far off land, yet to be explored. The closest thing to an Insectoid variance are the Kendosi-Kin of the Kendali Marsh Lands, but they do not possess multiple breeds of insect like is characteristic for the other groups. Each will naturally prefer climates known to house the animal breed which they posses characteristics of. They only Mammilian life which doesn¡¯t possess a Beast-Kin counterpart are the Erkin, as there are legends of the existence of a form of Horse-Kin residing in the uncharted sections of the Eternal Plains, although these legends usually depict far more equine visages.¡± Cecilia


    He grins in approval, though I can see a questioning look in his eye.


    ¡°Very academic answer. You¡¯ve listened to lectures in the past?¡± Gabriel


    ¡°My mom wouldn¡¯t tolerate me going around and being a dumbass, though not in those exact words.¡± Cecilia


    I was quick to add on the last few words, I didn¡¯t want to paint a false image of her. Gabriel nodded at me, the statement seeming to answer more questions than he asked.


    ¡°Alright then, moving on. Long pointed ears, predominantly blonde hair and brown hair and prefers to inhabit the forested areas of the Duchy of Maria. They boast a lifespan of around 6-700 years and known for normally slim body structures and skill in horticulture?¡± Gabriel


    ¡°Wood-Kin.¡± Cecilia


    He nods again.


    ¡°Northmar?¡± Gabriel


    Oh, so he wants me to define some? And he used the foreign name as well, probably to help with when I do meet with foreigners. Smart, I won¡¯t come up with answers as easily.


    ¡°Lifespans of around 100 years with overly muscular physiques. They prefer the cold climate of Valanar and were mostly unaffected by the changes in the world after the Great Upheaval, as they are a raiding people. They grow older faster depending mostly on their muscle mass, which is why they are the only other culture to employ the Marks of Maturation like most of the Erians.¡± Cecilia


    He nods again.


    ¡°Salvati?¡± Gabriel


    We spent the next hour or so discussing all the different types of people I will inevitably run into. That is, at least, until we got to the non-kinnic races. Did I forget to mention those?


    Yes.


    ¡°Orc.¡± Gabriel


    ¡°Large individuals who naturally grow stronger with age. They possess skin colors ranging from green to black that is naturally strong, known to be as tough as Erkin Leather. Their skulls are shaped with the brain reaching backwards, with a large jawbone, a pair of tusk like teeth placed on the bottom jawbones, and slits placed where the nose would be. Known for their temper when young, but such Orcs are rarely let out of their tribes.¡± Cecilia


    ¡°Toca.¡± Gabriel


    ¡°Extremely reclusive and keep to the deep waters, they don¡¯t have anything close to a Kinnic appearance, as far as they have been described, but are known to have a written language as they are capable of trading with the Mer-Kin. No one, besides the Mer-Kin, know what they look like for certain, but there are rumors and the occasional journal that will surface depicting them as whale-sized creatures with long tentacles in place of a tail, while also possessing horns and wings.¡± Cecilia


    ¡°Shraki.¡± Gabriel


    ¡°Unknown and reclusive beings who have never been sghted without their entire bodies being obscured. They are believed to live in a far off continent, as that is the only evidence for our lack of knowledge regarding them. We aren¡¯t even sure if they are one race or multiple, and if the only reason we believe them to be of a different culture is due to their unique language and foreign attire.¡± Cecilia


    ¡°Dragons.¡± Gabriel


    ¡°Nothing known for certain.¡± Cecilia


    There really isn¡¯t. Tales of them exist throughout the world, and not a single one can be confirmed. You¡¯d think it was a widespread rumor, but depictions of them exist in even Metal-Kin and Eldar ruins, so we aren¡¯t certain.


    ¡°Phoenix.¡± Gabriel


    ¡°Unknown.¡± Cecilia


    We then keep going on the list of unknowns, which is surprisingly long. Eventually he just nods at me.


    ¡°That¡¯ll do, for now, any questions?¡± Gabriel


    I think for a moment, should I ask anything? Well, I should probably try and determine what he thinks of me.


    ¡°What do you think of me.¡± Cecilia


    He tilts his head at me, inspecting me. This goes on for a moment, and I feel the unnatural, or rather extremely natural, urge to growl at him. I don¡¯t, thankfully, and soon after he opens his mouth to speak.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a complete dumbass like your siblings and have you any idea how annoying it is to organize a bloodless coup? To annoying in my opinion, plus so far you¡¯ve been agreeable, so I¡¯ve no qualms about serving you. I also love fucking over the annoying nobles, and since you used to be a Ranger, I¡¯ve got even more reason to stick around!¡± Gabriel


    That, that works.


    ¡°Plus he finds you attractive.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    We both look underneath the bed, startled. She looks at us both, her head poking out from under the bedside. Everyone is silent for a minute, my own thoughts leaning towards a single, rather apt, question. WHEN THE HELL DID SHE GET HERE!! She just looks at both of us, examining my highly startled expression, and I don¡¯t really know what Gabriel looks like at the moment, but it was probably similar to mine.


    ¡°What? He¡¯s a boy and you look good.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    We continue to stare at her incredulously, or at least I am. She then turns her head to the side and mutters something, not-so-quietly.


    ¡°We¡¯re all thinking it.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    Okay, yeah, no.


    ¡° ¡°GET OUT!!¡± ¡± Cecilia + Gabriel


    Ti¡¯sha just groans and disappears back underneath the bed before rolling out the other side and leaving the room without much fanfare. I then look back at him and I notice an annoyed look on his face, still staring at the door, before glancing over at me, before quickly looking back down.


    ¡°I-uh, I think I¡¯ll, uh, I think I¡¯ll leave you to it then.¡± Gabriel


    I thought he looked like a little village boy who was avoiding his crush, but that didn¡¯t exactly lower my evaluation of him. It was a little funny, but I wouldn¡¯t say I found it cute or whatever most would probably see of the situation.


    ¡°T-that sounds good.¡± Cecilia


    I doubt that I was much better. He stands up and bows, before turning around and leaving the room entirely. Hahh~, fuck my bloodlines, honestly. I know that this is affecting the way I think, I haven¡¯t been this expressive since I was a kid, and even then I¡¯ve been acting seriously strangely. First I start feeling the urge to growel at people, and now I start getting unnaturally happy when I¡¯m having the shit beat of me, and beating the shit out of the others, in sparring. Hell, I feel like some flustered little village girl! I¡¯m the goddamn queen, and the only time I¡¯ve ever been in this fucking capital, was WHEN I WAS A MAID!!


    A FUCKING MAID!!


    Oh, hi there mr nobles, just bow the knee to a girl that has only ever run a group of, effectively, mercenaries in a single duchy, take note of the fact that that same group, hunts most of your family dow like the dogs that they are you filthy vermin.


    Yeah, I don¡¯t know about you, but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to go down well.


    At all.


    I grab a pillow and scream into it. I just want to live peacefully, with nobody fucking everything up.


    And everything got fucking fucked the goddamn fuck up.

 Chapter 15

    Cecilia POV:


    Okay, so, the sweep of the palace lasted throughout the night. The spymaster is interrogating a few of the captured would-be-assassins. However, a few of the guardsmen expect them to be islanders, the people of the Kannis islands, a war torn region that hates Erians like the plague. Why? You may ask. Simple, remember that nation that I mentioned was rivalling us in trade, about five hundred years ago? The one that we sent a bunch of wargs towards to utterly fuck up their nation? Yeah¡­


    Suffice it to say that they aren¡¯t doing too hot these days, and hate us with a passion. They couldn¡¯t actually declare war on us because of the other nations making sure that we don¡¯t get too screwed up. They¡¯ve resorted to pirating any and all vessels bound for Eria as an attempt to discourage trade with us, which backfired spectacularly. They went from a somewhat stable government to a fucked over nation that¡¯s slowly and painfully dying, still not giving up on its attempts to destroy Eria. Mostly the royal family.


    This time, they were targeting large groups of people that were being brought into the palace as candidates for the new servant positions. They were felled by the dozens, the original two hundred being whittled down to forty six. A few of the knights and rangers discovered that several guardsmen were also involved in the plot, smuggling assassins in under the pretense of being servants and handing over the rotation schedules for the current cycle. Everyone on the council was understandably miffed, and the still living guardsmen were brought in for questioning. Y¡¯mar has already sent for another contingent of Rangers and Cyrus is having every section of the rings inspected to make certain it isn¡¯t compromised.


    Me, on the other hand, I¡¯m stuck doing something far less enjoyable.


    Except when I actually manage to hit Y¡¯mar.


    Which I can count on my little finger.


    I don¡¯t hit him much, in case you were wondering.


    *PHWACK* *Grrr*


    He doesn¡¯t even have the damn decency to put me on my ass when he hits me! He keeps it to light taps, which you might think is a good thing, but when you throw in some predatory ancestors, IT STARTS PISSING YOU OFF! Unfortunately, however, I can¡¯t act on said-- *PHWACK* *GRRR*


    Calm down Cecil, you won¡¯t be able to tell where he is if you don¡¯t calm down, then comes hitting him. I¡¯m blindfolded, and Y¡¯mar is having me stand in position while he comes at me from different angles. This is the first step to learning Blindness, one of the martial paths, you have to start getting used to finding out just where your opponent is so that you can strike at him. Next comes defending against sword strikes, and repeating these two steps, in order, while moving being the final two.


    I hear the shifting of the sands come from my right, I swing. I feel a rush of excitement when I feel the sword come into contact with his own blade, and feel the urge to rush at him, to swing away like a madwoman with a death wish! Unfortunately, I can¡¯t, I¡¯m confined to a figurative circle whilst he continues to circle me.


    Still satisfying as all hell.


    *PHWACK*


    But I question whether it¡¯s worth it or not. Okay, focus, you have some of the best hearing in the capital, don¡¯t tune out the sounds, I¡¯m not tuning it out anymore, I need to tune in. The air to left takes a slight whistling noise, and I act out of a desire to not feel pain. First, I pull up my wooden blade so that it¡¯s vertical, the hilt upwards.


    *Punk*


    The blade hits an instant later, but my training in regards to repentance kicks in just as quickly. In a swift motion, I twist the fuller of the blade so that it moves around that of my opponents, moving in a way as to cancel any momentum and allowing me to get past his defense. Immediately, I thrust forwards, hoping to God that I managed to both keep his blade occupied and my opponent slow enough to manage a successful hit, without getting smacked again. I feel the point of the blade hit something and feel a great amount of resistance, and I pull out to help with my next movement. I start twirling a little, shifting my stance continuously while bring my blade the long way around, back at my opponent. I think of something on the fly, dipping my blade a bit to change the sideways attack into an upward strike, bringing a good amount of sand and dirt with it. I know for a fact that the distraction is mediocre at best, but a chance at getting him on his toes is enough for me.


    *punk*


    My blade comes to a halt, meaning that my opponent has reacted. I draw the blade back, and out of an unknown instinct bring my blade to my left, tilting it quickly as I duck beneath arc of the swing. I then, sliding the blade under my attacker¡¯s, swing at where his arm should be. The blade meets its mark, and I tilt the sword diagonally to suit my next attack. Judging that I¡¯ve tilted the blade to an appropriate margin, I thrust forwards, a knocking sound greeting me. I¡¯ve completely disregarded the ring now, I know for a fact that I¡¯ve gone beyond its boundary, but I could care less.


    I didn¡¯t come here so that he could hit me repeatedly, I didn¡¯t come here to learn some divine ¡°one with the world¡± bullcrap, and I most certainly want to beat the shit out of Y¡¯mar, so, in essence: let¡¯s actually fight for once. I hear Y¡¯mar grunt in pain, I know I didn¡¯t hit his eye, I was¡­ aiming for the temple? How the hell was I aiming for his temple, I can¡¯t-


    I hear a crack of wind and feel pain explode through the side of my jaw before everything went dark.


    ****


    I woke up about an hour later, Y¡¯mar told me to trust my instincts more, which I suppose is true enough given what happened. The pain in my jaw was gone, so they must''ve used a potion on me in my sleep. I then went on to my second activity of the day, lying!


    Yeah, I¡¯m conflicted about this at times. I really dislike lying. Subversion, I¡¯m a fan of, it makes things easier. You¡¯d be a complete idiot to not ruin your enemy¡¯s chances at killing you. Still, getting better at lying both helps when making negotiations and hurts when getting someone to trust you. Who in their right mind would trust a woman who could be lying through their teeth at any time. I ran quickly towards the meeting room, since royals don¡¯t need guards in the bounds of the first ring. It''s much faster these days, since I figured out that I can move super fast now, the only problem being my not-so-limitless stamina. Plus slowing down, you would be surprised how easy it is to trip if you slow down too fast. I¡¯ll have to pay attention to how Siga-- Lugus does it, if I don¡¯t manage to figure out calmly stopping by the time I take her out during the hunt that is.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    I start slowing down and nearly trip multiple times as I get to one of the doors that leads into the main building surrounding the Spire. As I said before, the palace is mostly gardens, so it''s more walls surrounding gardens surrounding buildings, which are connected through stone pathways(think of the large bridge in Harry Potter from Hogwarts to Hagrid¡¯s home, just shorter).


    I, thankfully, managed to make it to the door without face planting into any surface. I open it up and then sprint inside. We don¡¯t have time to waste, and I don¡¯t know how long I was unconscious. It wasn¡¯t long, probably thirty minutes, but that¡¯s thirty minutes wasted. I wasn¡¯t running at the speed of a horse, but I was still going at the pace of a sprint. After twisting through the hallways, I came across the door to the same room Gabriel and I met in previously. We¡¯ve made this room our designated meeting place. I open the door and see Gabriel start detaching his legs, which means he just got here too. Perfect.


    Vanar just turns his head lazily to me before just going into a sleeping position. He¡¯s either not afraid of me, trusts me, or just doesn¡¯t give a damn. The more time I spend with him, the more inclined I am to believe it¡¯s the third option. Gabriel hears me, and looks up at me with his usual tired and annoyed face.


    ¡°Ah good, you¡¯re on time. Now then, you''re decent enough at the facade already, now we just have to train you to lie.¡± Gabriel


    He paused while I took a seat in front of him. Once I was properly seated, he picked up his cane and started twisting the head of it. I looked at him questioningly as he brought it sideways and placed his mouth over a hole I hadn¡¯t noticed before. The instant he started breathing, I heard a high pitched squeak invade my senses, making me wince slightly. When he looked back up, he nodded in confirmation of something.


    ¡°Okay then, every time your expression breaks, I¡¯ll blow a note. Now then, let¡¯s begin¡­¡± Gabriel


    We then wasted a few hours away in which he had me say things and hear things that were rather humorous, irritating, insulting, disgusting, and embarrassing. We wouldn¡¯t move on from any of those topics until my expression didn¡¯t break. He had me maintain demeanors from happiness to sadness to even pride. As long as I could fake it, we could move on. The exercises kept up for absolute hours, but I didn¡¯t grow bored for an instant. At the end, he actually looked impressed.


    ¡°You know, you are not taking anywhere near as much time as I was expecting you to. I may be good at teaching people this stuff, the whole pain incentive and all, but at this rate we¡¯ll have some spare time to train you further. Wonderful.¡± Gabriel


    I could see a bit more life in his eyes while he was saying that.


    My ears, on the other hand, were not quite so lively at that news.


    ******


    We have a week before the choosing ceremony, and both Saran and Y¡¯mar are satisfied with my ability to fight. I still have no clue about this battle state some warriors are capable of, they had said that¡¯s a lesson I need to learn on my own. I think I went up a single rank in swiftness, and Y¡¯mar says that I need to have better confidence in my abilities and not question my own capabilities mid fight.


    At some point, some applicants were brought over from Tor¡¯s holdings in Uria. No one in the capital was willing to become a member of the servants after that bloodbath that occurred just after my arrival. There were a few who remained, however, like this one trio who Cyrus avoids like the plague, and vice versa. They consisted of a Fox-Kin woman, a hybrid Erian, and a Low-Beast Hare-Rabbit. I didn¡¯t spend much time with them, with Y¡¯mar trying to be the death of me and all, but I find the rabbit shifty, the fox annoyingly bubbly, and the Erian protective of the rabbit and jumpy as hell.


    There are, however, problems regarding our method of attaining servants. One such being that the Spymaster reports a ridiculous increase in the movements of other spies and agents that have been trying to find out what''s going on in the capital. Gabriel expects that increase with some and decrease with others once the messengers bring news of the choosing ceremony taking place; and that I should hold more fear for those who continued their inquiries.


    I¡¯ve also been in attendance to every council meeting that has been held since I got here. Apparently the war in the west is getting noticeably more bloody, the principalities allowing mercenary bands to get involved, which Saran believes to be a prelude for their own involvement. The war is between the Human Alliance and the Elven Council of The Star Wells, Plains-Kin and Wood-Kin kingdoms respectively. It¡¯s been terrible on trade, simply because both kingdoms are situated on the points of the Sessavy Sea, a sea on the north end of the Western continent that is surrounded by a sickle like landmass. Because of this, sea battles are quite common and because of that, our trade with that whole landmass is being stagnated. And since neither side wants the other from profiting from our trade routes, we can''t trade with the nations west of them, and the Sea-Kin are getting sick of it, meaning that they will either push for peace or join in with the other nations west of the Sessavy.


    Gabriel and Tor seem to think that it would be beneficial to initiate these peace talks, since this war will put either a society of purist Wood-Kin of that landmass or their Plains-Kin counterparts. That would be bad for trade and none of us Erians are fans of slavery or mass genocide. I personally would rather conquer both nations, install rulers with a shred of sanity and plenty of humility. But that can wait until after I purify Eria of all the little shits I can.


    I am actually sitting in on one of those meetings right now. I am sitting right next to dad while Saran and Gabriel take their seats. We¡¯ve been waiting for them for the past few minutes, but that¡¯s just because we got here early. My father was first to speak, waiting until after Gabriel had gotten into a comfortable position with his prosthetics.


    ¡°Now then, let''s start with the status of our economics. Tor, have you completed your estimates on how the war in the west will affect trade?¡± Dad


    The Stone-Kin nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ve mostly been selling them raw materials for healing poultices, and then shipments of weapons and parts for siege equipment that the Clans have been forging. Saran has already been preparing to place naval escorts for the merchants guild, but I doubt that will be as useful now with the Principalities getting involved. They have sizeable mercenary fleets so we won¡¯t be able to rely on the fact that Alliance and Council fleets will be completely focused on one another. The chances that they will assault our convoys under the guise of raiders is quite high.¡± Tor


    My dad sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°So we¡¯ll have to cut off trade with the entire area.¡± Kelleran


    Huh.


    ¡°Is there a map I could take a look at?¡± Cecilia


    Dad clacks his cane on the ground twice, and waits for a second. One of the new servants comes out a second later, and looks slightly nervous as he bows his head, waiting for orders.


    ¡°Go retrieve a map from the cartographers for lady Cecilia.¡± Dad


    ¡°Y-yes milord!¡± Servant


    He then starts backing away before turning around to open the door and leave altogether.


    ¡°Am I going to have to deal with everyone being so scared of me?¡± Cecilia


    Gabriel just chuckles.


    ¡°Just wait until the rumors start. Everyone is scared to hell of me, apparently I can control anyone who crosses me, and lost my legs by making a deal with demons.¡± Gabriel


    Saran nods his head.


    ¡°Apparently I¡¯m nothing more than a bloodthirsty animal who dueled all his bodyguards to the death, killing every one slowly whilst I delighted in their screams.¡± Saran


    I look at both incredulously, earning a laugh out of my father. This is going to suck. The servant returned soon after, apparently they had a map stashed nearby. He comes before me and bows deeply while holding the map in front of me. I go to reach for it, but realize quite quickly that he overestimated my reach. He realizes quickly after and shuffles forwards, coming just close enough for me to snatch the map out of his hands.


    ¡°You may leave.¡± Cecilia


    He then moves quickly towards the door and disappears through it. I take a look at the map in my hands, and a thought comes to me.


    ¡°And we aren¡¯t trying to go through the city states because?¡± Cecilia


    ¡°They¡¯re assholes.¡± Gabriel


    Dad chooses to elaborate for him.


    ¡°They insist that every ship that goes through their lands has to be ¡°escorted¡± which involves getting a new escort every time they enter a new territory, and since they don¡¯t ¡°coordinate¡± well with their brothers, this usually ends with the ship¡¯s crew dying of starvation because the Sea-Kin drive off fish schools and the ship isn¡¯t allowed to resupply without paying ridiculous prices for food, and the other ships commandeering the ship claiming scavengers rights.¡± Dad


    ¡°I thought they were supposed to be merchant states?¡± Cecilia


    This doesn¡¯t sound conducive to commerce.


    ¡°Outside nations trade with the city states on the rim, they trade with the cities in the center, and the central cities trade with the Toca.¡± Tor


    So they just don¡¯t trust outsiders, I guess I can understand that.


    ¡°Reason why their center states are supremacists.¡± Gabriel


    Never mind.

 Chapter 16

    Cecilia POV:


    I¡¯m currently looking at myself through a mirror. I¡¯m wearing a dress, the regal kind, not the ones that courtiers or shit stirrers wear. It reminded me of what a proper queen or princess should wear at events, as my mother described it. No skin showed aside from my head and my hair was tucked within my hood, gloves covered my arms up to the sleeve and the hem of the gown kept everything hidden. The only reason I¡¯m not wearing something that looks slightly more imposing. I got to keep my pants, thankfully, so that¡¯s a plus.


    I let out a breath. Today''s the day. In a few hours, I am officially no longer free of the nobility. Then again, I was also on the fast track to become the youngest Ranger Captain in history. Wait, scratch that, I am the youngest Ranger Captain in history, so I wasn¡¯t going to get out free anyways. Come to think of it, I seem to be a magnet for this crap.


    ¡°That''s annoying.¡± Cecilia


    ¡°Hmm? Did you say something milady?¡± Ti¡¯sha


    I shake my head at her.


    ¡°Just thinking out loud, I suppose.¡± Cecilia


    Ti¡¯sha, as a trustworthy woman, was allowed into the spire. She had helped me with dressing myself, though it consisted of just handing me the garb. My own dignity didn¡¯t allow me to stand there and be dressed like a damn baby. I turn my head to the side, and take a look at the capital. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve actually paid much attention to the city much up till now. I had a shit all view of it when I was a kid, and mom never let me out into it when I was a kid. Come to think about it, that makes a hell of a lot of sense. I was the daughter of the head servant. She essentially ruled the palace, so she could be one hell of a target for leverage. Drop bit of poison in the right meal, and the country is in need of a monarch.


    I looked over the city, though a portion of it was obscured by the walls surrounding the palace. The majority of the city I could see comprised of wooden housing with stone bases and corners. There was one section that looked rather shitty, in my opinion, since the houses had holes and caught a whiff of particularly bad smelling crap in that direction, which was mixed with musk and a fuck ton of flowers. I could tell where it was coming from because the wind was blowing towards me and that was the faintest smell in the direction, which is only really useful when it''s the farthest thing away from you.


    ¡°Hey, Ti¡¯sha, what¡¯s that section of the city called?¡± Cecilia


    I had moved towards the window a while ago, and was simply surveying the city. Ti¡¯sha walked up to my side, following my gaze.


    ¡°That, my Queen, is the Flower Road, I believe.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    ¡°Oh.¡± Cecilia


    In Eria, we don¡¯t call the section of our cities which hold whore houses redlight districts, or scarlet districts, or rose districts, we call them flower districts. Every whore house in these districts has a crap ton of flowers on them, and the women have multiple flowers in their hair each. Helps to diminish the scent of shit and every other man that they¡¯ve had that day. The reason we call the one in the capital the Flower Road is simple, the whole district follows along single, albeit large, road, and was the first to start using flowers, if my civilian history is correct. No real symbolism, though if you¡¯re looking for symbolism in a whore house, I¡¯d advise you go to a Nariadan one, apparently it¡¯s seen as an art form or something. Weird pieces of shit, those Nariads, but that tends to happen when you¡¯re whole society has no price on life. Same with the Raiis, which makes the whole situation with the Suana being in between them gets even weirder. Suana are basically a dark skinned version of the Erians. Their tribes were the only other ones to accept refugees of the Great Upheaval.


    Other than the Flower Road, the rest of the city looked, and smelled, fairly nice. The merchants district was as busy as always, and the King¡¯s Road, the main road in and out of the city, was being covered in decorations and performers of every type. Everything from firespitters to fortune tellers to even sword eaters. I could see a large camp of nobles and their personal guard forming outside the large, stone, city walls. They were only allowed to start coming in at midday, and that was an hour or two away.


    Many onlookers had already gathered, waiting for the parade to begin in earnest; or there to watch the performers and eat foods that were both traditional and foreign. I caught whiffs of spices, meats, cheeses, fruits and pastries from that area, enough to make me want to start gorging myself on them. I also caught a whiff of blood, meaning that a few robberies had already gone wrong and other forms of crime were spreading in the great confusion that is a celebration like this.


    ¡°Milady, it would appear your siblings are entering the city.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    Ah shit. I guess I have to start talking to them now. Yaaaay~, I¡¯m so excited~.


    I looked in the direction Ti¡¯sha was indicating. The crowd had begun to part and I could see a squadron of knights in ridiculously polished, and bulky, armor on steeds surrounding my eldest sister of about twenty years. I couldn¡¯t see her quite clearly yet, but the scarlet red clothing she was wearing and pretty much everything else about this whole group screamed Talia and her vanity. I know for damn sure that she realizes just how impractical and cumbersome their armor is, but just doesn¡¯t car beyond the point of it looking impressive.


    I couldn¡¯t get a good look at her face though, but sue me, she¡¯s on the other end of an entire damn city. From what I remember, she was also quite beautiful, so don¡¯t think of her as the ugly on the inside, ugly on the outside. Though don¡¯t think I never considered ripping some parts off. Especially those damn ears she was so damn proud of. She¡¯s her mother has half Wood-Kin and half North-Kin, so they may outlive me if nothing gets in the way, which something will.


    After her was another sibling who I detest, Trevor. Even from this distance I could tell that he was eyeing his sister, the sick craven shit. He was the cunning of those three, and unlike his siblings, didn¡¯t trust a man who pampered their ego. Though he was also the most sickening of them, in my opinion, because of whatever it was that dad found out about his activities with the old Queen, he never regarded Trevor as family again.


    Next came Riker, unmistakable in the fact that he was goddamn huge. Bastard was similar to his brother in his treatment of those who catch his eye, but he only grew more bullheaded as he grew bigger. He inherited the Blood of the North-Kin strongly, meaning he grew in physical age as he grew in strength, which is why some mistake him for the eldest sibling. he and Trevor were twins, and both are 18 years old. It appeared as though they were going in order of age, but instead of Jeremiah being next, it was instead a carriage that came next. Jeremiah and I are equal in our age, so everyone in the carriage must be my three younger siblings. I don¡¯t really know all too much about them aside from what Ti¡¯sha told me, they were too young when I left for them to have become too mentally independent.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    All the commoners bowed their heads to the presession, and I left the window before any of them could see me. I turned to Ti¡¯sha, who had already gone a few paces back, a grin on my face.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see the look on their faces when they find out I¡¯m the new Queen.¡± Cecilia


    She just grinned at me. She doesn¡¯t pull the innocent act anymore, meaning she learned that I just don¡¯t give a damn.


    ¡°Now are we to wait here or should we leave? I doubt that I¡¯m just supposed to stay cooped up until the Choosing begins.¡± Cecilia


    ¡°Yes, actually, the King doesn¡¯t want his Elysia and Susana to realize you exist just yet. Apparently Elysia has Trevor¡¯s wit, and will notice that the room just above hers is occupied.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    Ah right, there are more rooms than just mine in this spire, this one is just the smallest, the one at the top. The one below this one is much larger and meant to be occupied by the other two, apparently Dad wanted them to share a room for one reason or another. I believe that it also has a star stone story written on it, but I could be wrong, I didn¡¯t actually look at it all too much.


    ¡°So where are we going to then? Also, where did you put the cloaks? I think I¡¯ll put one on, it¡¯s getting rather cold.¡± Cecilia


    She turns to one of the closets and begins explaining.


    ¡°Gabriel wants you to report to the council room. Nobody will be allowed in there and he wants to give you some info about some of the diplomats, they managed to hide their identities since they never went into the Marian cities after arriving. They were waiting to the last possible moment and were trying their damndest to keep us from discovering their identities. We only found out this morning when they arrived at the outskirts of the city.¡± Ti¡¯sha


    Oh great, wild cards. They must really wanna keep us on our toes then. Ti¡¯sha hands me a robe, it¡¯s grey with silver trimmings, the pattern is distinctly Erian. When I put it on it comes down to the middle of my shins, and doesn¡¯t restrict my movements, like a gown would. Ti¡¯sha kept arguing with me to wear a gown, but I refuse to wear one. Damn things are just so stuffy, then there was the corset, and she even tried to get me to wear a tiara! What am I, some damn foreigner! I¡¯m Erian for God¡¯s sake, we don¡¯t wear Tiaras we wear hoods! So what if the tradition is mostly dead, I refuse to back down on it.


    We exit the spire and start towards the council room. The trip was uneventful except for the servants running around all over the place in the second and further rings. They didn¡¯t have as much time as they would¡¯ve liked for the preparations, so some of them are still getting work done. A few were so busy that they forgot to bow to me, which I¡¯m fine with. The only real problem is when they try to pull that with the others, my siblings that is. My elder siblings I know are going to cause a scene, the youngers¡­ no clue, they didn¡¯t get brainwashed by that hag, but they¡¯re still liable to have some problems.


    I get to the council room without incident. When I enter, I see Gabriel pacing around with a thoughtful expression on his face. He was wearing a far fancier version of his usual robes, which still make him look like a tired teen who could care less


    ¡°Okay, the principalities didn¡¯t send any warriors who could threaten you or challenge you for that matter. Though you do have a problem, the Alliance and Elven Council diplomats refuse to be in the same city as one another and demand that we evict the other. Your father wants you to handle it and if I agree to the solution you can do it.¡± Gabriel


    I frowned for a moment, before going over events out loud for him.


    ¡°They are asking us to evict the other, meaning that they want to see where they stand in importance in comparison to the other. They are going to then see if they can pull us into that war in any way feasible. The question is, should we pick a side, or choose neither? I¡¯m inclined to give them both an ultimatum to either stow it or leave, this is their war not ours.¡± Cecilia


    He nodded, an approving look in his eyes.


    ¡°Word it a bit better when we get there and we¡¯re good. I share your sentiments about the war, we¡¯ll give them the ultimatum right after the choosing, it¡¯s as good as a coronation and they don¡¯t expect the decision till afterwards anyways. It¡¯ll look good as your first act as Queen of all Eria.¡± Gabriel


    At the last part he was grinning his usual grin. It was a mix of sadistic and mischievous, depending on the angle you were looking from. This guy loves screwing with nobility about as much as I think I will, and I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s a bit too excited for me to become Queen. Apparently dad and him don¡¯t see as eye to eye as we do. Call me a shit stirrer... and end of discussion, seriously, that is exactly what I feel like at the moment.


    I think I unintentionally let a grin of my own slip. I could here Ti¡¯sha muttering something along the lines of us being two pups in a litter or something, I just ignored her. His grin disappeared and he went back into business mode.


    ¡°Now then, out of all the nations diplomats, you can only trust the one from the Suanarin Confederation and the Kembos. They¡¯re the only allies who are actual allies in the grand scheme of things. Plus their ambassadors are good people, to us and that¡¯s just because we are all actual friends and the like. If you see someone badmouth those ambassadors, help them out, even if they¡¯re not around. We weren¡¯t on speaking terms after the coup six hundred years ago, but things have gotten back to good relations after your father¡¯s reign. Now, the Kembos ambassador is a Kembosi, and the Suanarin ambassador is a dark skinned Plains-Kin.¡± Gabriel


    ¡°Anything else?¡± Cecilia


    He looked up at the sky as he scratched a small bit of stubble in need of shaving. Gabriel doesn¡¯t wear a beard, unlike most that I¡¯ve met.


    ¡°Nope, you remember your lessons on the political landscape?¡± Gabriel


    ¡°Yup.¡± Cecilia


    ¡°Then just wait here for an hour. Those the clothes you''re going to wear for the ceremony? Fitting that you''re not wearing a gown or anything of the like. Very traditional, none of that foreign crap everyone¡¯s wearing these days.¡± Gabriel


    ¡°Thanks.¡± Cecilia


    It''s refreshing to have someone feel good about our culture, too many people in Adria have been adopting other ways of life. I personally think this ¡°multicultural¡± shit breeds weakness and division. We¡¯re all Erians, and it¡¯s damn time to start acting like it already. I guess I have a new objective for my reign then. I look back at Gabriel as I go to take a seat, the sound of his prosthetics clanking against the floor as he paced filling the room as his Warg was off somewhere, probably sleeping. I decided to start a conversation with him once I had sat down.


    ¡°So, and I mean no offense, do you do anything when you''re not working? All I¡¯ve seen out of you is either sleeping, teaching me, council meetings and passing papers with the Dorwings.¡± Cecilia


    Dorwings are an omnivorous bird that looks like a mix between a white feathered dove and a rather fierce hawk. They¡¯re used mostly for passing messages, since runners are slow, horses are costly and Elk a bad experience for any who try and mount one. They can go ridiculous distances because they hunt any food they might need on the way and are quite fast.


    ¡°Eh, I like to study alchemy and the like, finding a way to fix my leg problem is a rather important thing for me. Other than that, I usually just talk with Saran, exchange letters with a fellow alchemist with similar research and am friends with one of the Spymaster¡¯s assassins. Otherwise, I don¡¯t really have a form of social life. It¡¯s impossible trying to get close to commoners who can¡¯t protect themselves from the nobility and I can¡¯t stand most nobles. Tan¡¯s sister, the assassin I mentioned earlier, is a decent enough sort but we don¡¯t really talk much, ¡®cept when it¡¯s about Saran. Apparently she likes him, no clue exactly, I¡¯m not good with crap like that.¡± Gabriel


    Huh. That''s both interesting and a little disappointing. Then again, I suppose I¡¯m not one to talk. Great, now I feel even more pathetic than usual. Here I am, Queen of Eria and I have zero friends! HA! Take that world!


    Actually, does Gabriel count? I trust him, but then again I also trust Y¡¯sar to make a sexual comment, and we aren¡¯t exactly friends. Actually, is it common for someone to be cordial with a person they contemplate killing every so often? I get the feeling it isn¡¯t. Gabriel went over to the seat opposite me and sat down, placing his head on top of his crossed arms to make a cushion.


    ¡°Are you going to sleep?¡± Cecilia


    He poked his head up.


    ¡°Yup.¡± Gabriel


    He then put his head back down. Haaahhh~, I¡¯m going to be bored for the next hour aren¡¯t I?


    *****


    And I was!

 Chapter 17

    Cecilia POV:


    It turns out that I had inadvertently fallen asleep while sitting in the chair, suffice to say I was stiff when Gabriel woke me up some hours later to tell me about our presence being needed soon. We abruptly left the council room towards the Throne Room, and I noticed that all the decorations had been placed and a great deal of music being played in the direction of the Feasting Hall and Square.


    ¡°Of course someone brought musicians, I was hoping they would stick to tradition, gets too uncomfortable being at a party with people you hate. Let alone all that damn dancing.¡± Gabriel


    ¡°What, got something against another excuse to stuff yourself on good food?¡± Cecilia


    He sighs in a dejected manner.


    ¡°If it were just that, I would be the most outgoing nobleman in Eria, but then comes the part where everyone is forcing you to talk to them, despite the fact that you hate them and they hate you. Then there are the ones that love to brag about either their idiot kids finally learning how to shoot a fucking bow. Then someone tries to seduce, imagine how that goes, and their husband shows up to try and ¡®save his wife from the womanizer¡¯ just to find that I had essentially told her to fuck off.¡± Gabriel


    I just pat him on the back.


    ¡°Well, tough luck. I get the feeling I¡¯m going to have to go to quite a few, and you¡¯re the one who advises me on the nobility. Sooo¡­¡± Cecilia


    ¡°I¡¯m screwed?¡± Gabriel


    ¡°Probably.¡± Cecilia


    ¡°Yaaaayy.¡± Gabriel


    He spoke with sarcasm so obvious I would probably laugh if we didn¡¯t have a harrowing experience before us. We were just in front of the hall and a number of bodyguards and barons were looking at me with interest and curiosity. Makes a good amount of sense, I mean someone you¡¯ve never heard of is standing right next to the advisors of the King, your curiosity is going to be peaked. From what Gabriel told me, the Barons are usually fairly intelligent, which is a far cry from heirs to counts and the like. Barons aren¡¯t too important in the grand scheme of things and have a title so easily exchanged that they don¡¯t get the luxury of holding a noble house to defend their title and all the birthright stuff. It¡¯s not too terribly uncommon for a count to replace a baron.


    However, it¡¯s far more difficult to replace a count because they hold the power of the dukes beneath them, and it gets more difficult as the station increases in importance. Hell, a village leader is a baron in all but name, and credibility, of course.


    Since all the barons wouldn¡¯t make a comfortable fit in the hall for my Choosing, they have to wait out here until the choosing occurs at which time everyone spreads out to either eat or converse privately in the rest of the ring, or any ring of lower priority for that matter.


    I can hear them start whispering to eachother about my identity, wondering if I was some new baron, one of Gabriel¡¯s aides, his concubine, or some unknown noble¡¯s child. Gabriel looked slightly amused at the people who believed me his concubine, meaning he has fairly decent hearing as well. Is he a half breed? Erians have this weird quirk where they sometime only appear to be Erian, showing none of the physical multiracial quirks. It wasn¡¯t like that for me though, not in the least, I have slit eyes, tail, pointed ears, no hair on my legs or arms, poison resistance and possibly fangs, I¡¯ll figure that out in a few years, they only show up in your twenties, though that''s a coin toss for me since I¡¯m a hybrid.


    I could hear my father through the open windows, his voice a powerful bellow.


    ¡°As you all know, and no doubt see, I am going to die. You have all been expecting this, so I doubt I need to explain my intentions in summoning you all. Now then, I demand for my heir that they you pledge your loyalty.¡± Dad


    after that was a round of each noble family pledging their allegiance to the heir of their king, though I doubt many truly meant it.


    ¡°Now then, all who would claim my position, come before me, present your achievements, and among you I will chose one to rule all others. Know this, however, should you lose, you forfeit all claim to the throne, now and forever.¡± Dad


    Here we go¡­


    *****************


    Talia POV:


    First to go was myself, obviously. I smirk up at father, the bastard looking so weak he may as well be a skeleton already.


    ¡°I, Lady Talia, daughter of the King offer myself to be chosen as his heir. I have been taught by the greatest tutors in the world, and stand ready to stand as heir to your will!¡± Talia


    He grimaces at me, and my smirk turns into a grin. Like hell I would inherit the will of some commoner loving, prudish and insufferable bastard like him. Once you die, I will dance on your grave in glee, destroying your pet rangers and finally making my own play-room like mothers. Oh the things my children will learn, the gifts I will give them.


    I go over to retake my seat by the left wall, Riker and Trevor quite happy. Riker will take his post as my minister of war while Trevor becomes my spymaster, I¡¯ll get some of my toys to take up the rest of the positions, Gabriel and Tor are almost more annoying than my father, especially the crippled freak.


    My grin grows even wider as I take my seat. It would be fun to train that bastard, then leave him in the dungeons for the rest of his life. Maybe I should do the same to the traitor? No, unlike Trevor, I¡¯m disinterested in fucking my siblings, better to just flay Jerry to pieces, that would work nicely.


    Next, Elysia walks up, startling me only slightly. It isn¡¯t that unexpected for her to try and challenge me, that girl reminding me of the traitor quite a lot. She took after father and his love for tradition, wearing a hood atop her head and obscuring her features with a veil, aside from her eyes of course, and warrior-esque leathers covering the rest. I¡¯m not even interested in trying to teach her what mother taught us, maybe I¡¯ll make her a gift to Count Elris? I know that he¡¯s been looking for a blonde toy for his son to practice on, after all, using someone of too different a size can make the experience quite clunky. I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll grow up to be quite beautiful, so it¡¯s highly doubtful they¡¯ll toss her out too early, especially when she¡¯s still growing. And her skin is so pale and perfect that it will show the mark of whips and any scars better, so teaching the boy such things will be far easier with such a responsive canvas. Elysia kneels before father, one of those useless ceremonial acts that father is so touchy about.


    ¡°I, Lady Elysia Kelleran, daughter to the King offer myself as his heir. I am in the midst of my tutorship and have been hailed as a student far beyond my years of study by teachers who have attended the great academies from Lanra, to Sofus. I stand ready to inherit your will.¡± ElysiaUnauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Hmph, little ass kisser, as always. And doesn¡¯t she know it¡¯s pronounced ¡®Safis¡¯ and ¡®Locus!¡¯


    My father smiles down at her, and she returns to her seat, clearly fidgeting from nervousness. Foolish child, the nobles already smell her fear, maybe I¡¯ll have the Elris boy throw her to those wolves one day? Maybe getting ravaged would help her loosen up? I can think of a few other women who would surely benefit from such an enlightening experience, like that countess, the one that has a fancy for Saran.


    After that were a few counts who thought they might get lucky, though none of them could boast achievements like mine. And then, I notice a triumphant grin settle itself on father¡¯s face. I know that look, it¡¯s the same he always has when he manages to trick everyone! What has he been planning?! He stood up, the shakiness I had noticed earlier disappeared as he raised both arms to the roof, gazing upon the group of nobles below him as he bellowed out to the entrance of the throne room.


    ¡°Do any others stand ready to uphold the mantle of Kingship?¡± Father


    Just then, the doors to the throne room opened, and I heard the clacking of boots against the stone floor as any sound abruptly stops and all heads turn to the sound. I can¡¯t see the individual they are looking at for a while, confusing me, before she exits the wall of people, revealing a woman half a head shorter than me. She was wearing clothing quite similar to Elysia¡¯s, but silver and white colored. A curved sword strapped to her belt, a silver gilding running along the Elder Wood scabbard, Elder Wood being the famous trees grown by the Elves. However, I could care less about all those little things, what draws my attention is her hair.


    Her silver hair.


    I¡¯ve only known one girl with hair like that. I look at her eyes, my own widening in further shock as I realize that they look the same as that damn servant¡¯s. I remember her disappearing with her mother and a few other servants when some of grandfather¡¯s assassins attacked. The memory giving me further shock. I know that the majority of them died, their bodies were buried in the royal tombs as some form of atonement for their deaths. When she opens her mouth, the tone of the happy girl I remember is gone, now it¡¯s hard, cold, and determined, as though every word she says bears a great amount of meaning; though the words themselves stop any semblance of a thought I may have had.


    ¡°I, Cecilia Kelleran, bastard to the King, offer myself as his heir. I have shared in the Tutelage of Lady Talia Kelleran and Lord Jeremiah Kelleran, I have sat as a member of the King¡¯s Council, I have learned the ways of the King from his very council, I have attained the rank of Ranger Captain, becoming the youngest Captain of the Rangers in all known History. Let it also be known, that I have tamed the mare of the King¡¯s horse, and have named her Lugurinacta, as our traditions allow.¡± Cecilia


    She stands up slowly, and lifts her head up to gaze upon father with eyes, though cold, could pierce through a shield.


    ¡°I stand ready to inherit your will.¡± Cecilia


    Several nobles start whispering to one another as panic causes my breathing to turn panicked and vision to narrow into a tunnel, my hearing reducing itself to a dull ringing to all but that Bitch¡¯s voice and Father¡¯s.


    ¡°Of the candidates, your claim rings strongest! Do you swear fealty to God and the people, to uphold our ways and work for the betterment of Eria!¡± Father


    Th-those aren¡¯t the words I remember?! B-but they¡¯re familiar, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!! I feel the urge to jump up and strangle the imposter, to put this worthless common born serving bitch in her place, a thousand thoughts of breaking the imperious women to pieces as she takes Elysia¡¯s place in my fantasy of her being ravaged by everyone in the room. My boots twitch forwards, but that action is all that is needed to alert her, and she stares at me with cold and hateful eyes, her look piercing me and freezing me in fear. She returns her gaze back to father.


    ¡°I swear on the Primordials ever written Story, my soul and life, that I will lead our people as only an Erian can be lead. Under my rule, I swear that the great threats to our people be tamed and put to the betterment of the people, or crushed beneath my heel.¡± Cecilia


    Her final words bore a savage sincerity, somehow chilling my already frozen blood further.


    ¡°Do you swear to keep the peace, and uphold the teachings of the Rowunes, who guide us to the conclusion of the Primordials tale.¡± Father


    ¡°By my honor as a Ranger, I have sworn this vow three times, and shall swear it a fourth. The Rowunes will know no fear under my rule, and shall act as the forge to purify our people of those who exploit our ways and leave only those who uphold the teachings of the Rowunes. Let it be known to all who bear the name Erian, regardless of parentage and achievement.¡± Cecilia


    ¡°Do you swear that you will harden our people, and never allow them to become as cattle, but as strong oxen and yak, strong and resilient.¡± Father


    ¡°I swear, that the people shall be made great beneath my leadership, and that any man of Eria be worth tenfold a foreigners, that any woman be worth tenfold a foreigners, and that any one killed by a foreigner, pay a price in kind in blood.¡± Cecilia


    He holds out his hands in welcoming.


    ¡°Come, you stand as my equal, not theirs.¡± Cecilia


    She ascends the steps of the throne, and hugs my- her father.


    At that single action, it''s as if the world starts again, and every noble in the room starts clamoring. The majority of what their talking about is unintelligible, simply because everyone is trying to talk over one another. I look to my brothers, Trevor and Riker. Riker looks clueless and Trevor is gnawing at his fingers as he examines the Bitch, his eyes calculating. The Bitch turns around with a warm smile on her face, completely opposite the cold and authoritative atmosphere around her previously.


    ¡°Now, now, I believe there will be more than an adequate degree of time with which you may question me during and after the feast which the servants have prepared for us. The scent alone was more than enough to bring a wetness to my appetite. I am also certain the Barons will also desire a chance to inquire my existence, and would it not be unfair to ignore them, in regards to the very identity of their Queen?¡± Bitch, Whore, Slut--


    She turned her gaze to us, the royal children, her expression unwavering.


    ¡°Besides, it has been years since I last saw my siblings, and I doubt any of you would be so cruel as to deny such a long awaited family reunion.¡± --Wench, Goat Faced Mule--


    The nobles in the room look uneasily at one another but do as she wished. The Bitch, however, walked over to me and the others, her smiling mask unwavering, though I catch the look in her eyes. It¡¯s quite familiar to me.


    After all, it''s the same one Mother had whenever she found someone she wanted to ¡®play¡¯ with.


    *******


    Cecilia POV:


    I watch with glee as color drains from the faces of Trevor, Riker, and the beautiful blonde bitch Talia. Elysia, however, looks between me and the trio with apparent confusion, though her eyes tell a tale of interest. I want to get to know her better, she was little more than a toddler when I last saw her six years ago, and I¡¯ve been hearing some good things so far from everyone. It would also appear that William and Susana aren¡¯t here, but that makes sense, they¡¯re too young to even be considered for being chosen.


    I approach the now standing trio, as Elysia hadn¡¯t stood yet. I kept my smiling mask, though if the trio kept giving such hilarious responses it wouldn¡¯t be much of a mask.


    ¡°Who are you? Wait, no, since when did dad have a bastard?!¡± Elysia


    She beat me to the punch when it came to talking first. I turned my gaze to my little sister, that¡¯s going to be weird for a while, she¡¯s looking to get a bit shocked.


    ¡°Oh, that, my mother--¡± Cecilia


    ¡°Was a scandalous slut who seduced our father!¡± Talia


    I roll my eyes as Talia starts showing her bratty side. I.E. she¡¯s throwing a tantrum already because she didn¡¯t get what she wanted.


    ¡°Language Talia, I¡¯ll not have you tainting our little sister more than you already have.¡± Cecilia


    ¡°TAINTING?! How dare you speak to me in such a manner you worthless--¡± Talia


    ¡°Queen? Chosen Heir? Ranger Captain? Councillor to the King? I¡¯m sorry, but what, exactly, makes me worth less than a girl who has been reduced to the same station as an unlanded noble and courtier who can¡¯t speak a single foreign language? Can you even speak Old Erian?¡± Cecilia


    Her face grew redder and redder as I spoke, not even caring to wait for her reply I turned my look back to Elysia.


    ¡°Come, I think we¡¯d better leave before she explodes, and I think we can both attest to how long she likes to take when having her tantrums.¡± Cecilia


    She just nodded at me in what seemed like an absentminded way, making me think that I might be the first person to have talked back to Talia aside from a select few before her. Then I something forcefully tug at my hood and I look at the offender, which is Trevor. He¡¯s pissed, from the look of things.


    ¡°HEY, I didn¡¯t tell you you could leave slut!¡± Riker


    ¡°It¡¯s always the sexual harassment with you three, isn¡¯t it? I mean seriously, why are you all so damn focused on me being just as willing to spread my legs as Talia? Also, no.¡± Cecilia


    The last part was said after he started moving to try and strangle me with the other hand. I placed both of mine beneath his own, and pushed upwards, leaving his head completely unprotected. I kick him in the pants, I.E., the head he thinks with.


    His knees buckle and I can tell that Talia¡¯s fuse is about halfway spent, and Trevor is currently hiding behind a chair, fucking craven--


    I stop myself from continuing on that line of thought so I can lead Elysia, who is thoroughly shocked, out of the throne room. The nobles had already left by the time Talia was halfway through her initial outburst, though I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if most of them were listening in for the majority of it. You might think it strange that people like that wouldn¡¯t take note of a probably fight someone was having with the damn monarch, well future monarch but at this point same difference, and if we were in another nation, I¡¯d be inclined to agree. However, I think I¡¯ve mentioned previously that Talia is a brat that will scream and shout when she doesn¡¯t get her way. I truly doubt any of them wanted to listen to her shrill cries and whining, they¡¯ve no doubt heard it before, though the smart ones are probably the same ones who would be listening in, because who in their right mind would ignore a chance to learn about the brand new monarch that no one has met.


    I¡¯d honestly be disappointed if none of them so much as tried to listen in, though that would help with controlling all of them. I¡¯m no control freak, but if they were all idiots it¡¯d be much easier to hogtie them, figuratively or, literally should they try and revolt.


    An image of Talia being roasted over a fire while strapped to a spit ran through my mind.


    Maybe¡­

 Not a Chapter

    Yeah, no chapter this week. I had my AP Chem midterm, and might I say it went terribly. Usually would use how pissed off I am as inspiration to further the story, but for the life of me I''m not exactly feeling it with this story right now. I wrote myself into a corner, and I know for a fact that if I feel that writing this is a bore, it''ll be utter horseshit quality. I am going to try out writing something else, it may overtake this one, it may just fade away from my interests. If it sticks in my head, I''ll start posting that one, if not, treat this as a minor break in the story.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Thanks to all of you that like this, and sorry for the fact that my schedule is highly inconsistant.

 Concerning new fiction

    Okay, tried to put in a poll, but that didn''t work for some reason, kept getting an error message from RR


    Anyways, I need some guidance into what I''m about to start writing. I have a bunch of ideas, but I don''t have the time nor imagination to evolve them all at the same time while adhering to any form of schedule (I''m not a fan of writers who decide they write whenever cause fuck you) so I have made this as a way for all of you to make the choice yourselves, democratically, cause that always goes without a hitch *cough* Putin *cough* *cough*


    Sorry there, anyways, I''ll do it that way for two reasons


    <ol>


    <li>I''m secretly indecisive at hell.</li>


    <li>What''s the point of writing for you guys if you don''t like it?</li>


    </ol>


    Here are your optionsThis tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    <ol>


    <li>??Star Wars (Fan Fic): Will essentially be the same world as canon star wars, but without most of the expanded universe and some other differences (Cause fuck the Old Republic MMO, it ditched everything I loved about KOTOR I and II, I refuse to waste all my time making sure this crap is canonically sound, and finally, Gungans can go die in a hole.)</li>


    <li>??MC is a God''s Champion (Original): may involve other tropes that usually come with God Shenanigans including a Hero Summoning, though that''s simply a small possibility.</li>


    <li>??Hero summoning with a gruesome twist (Original): Yeah, exactly as you read it, not much else to it really.</li>


    <li>??Some short stories.</li>


    </ol>


    I''ll check the comments for your choices, g''day. (also if poll starts up again, I''ll set one up)