"You said it yourself, Argos. Whether the castle holds, falls, or is still fighting, three won't make any difference. Let's go." Prince Aland looked in direction of Ironclaw Fortress, then started marching north, brooding and unhappy.
Grandkeep, the Office of the King
"I do not care! If he didn't take the ring with him, you should've informed me! You should've sent a courier to deliver it! Hero Asfalthe forged these few, precious rings, for himself and his children, for the very purpose of safeguarding the lives of his family and their descendants! How could you dissappoint me like this, Seleth!"
"Father-" "Do not 'father' me! I've lost my heir! I've lost my eldest son to something that could, possibly, maybe, have been prevented! And you, what you have to say?" King Asfalthe turned to Aland, seated in the back, with Argos, Casslan and Adrienne right behind him.
"...I was going to say something, but you wouldn't like it. I choose to remain silent." The King grimaced in fury, stomped about for a moment, sighed, and sat down in his chair with a slouch.
"I should be marching with all my nobles and levies to Khernell right now. Raze every castle and town..." "That would be unwise, Father. We don't know whether its Khernell themselves or one of the rebel factions responsible for Cymon's death..." The King glared at Crown Prince Seleth, but did not say anything.
"So the news are really true? That there is... a civil war, in Khernell?" "I see the word spreads quickly, hmph. Our agents are still sifting through reports that came this morning. They're still identifiying who is who in this conflict..." The King crossed his arms, and stared at the window for quite a while. A gust of wind blew the curtains ajar, letting bright sunlight onto the King's eyes. After a moment, he turned to look at his desk. Then...
"When a child is lost by a father," "When a nation breaks apart," "When ill news arrives on white wings," "When the tenth generation of fifty sees its end," "The monsters will rise again," "And the end of the world shall begin." "What??" "What??" "Its a prophecy, I think... Your mother read it to me once or twice. I dismissed it as writings of Umbral lunatics, but...." "Umbral? As in, Umbral script? Was that prophecy written by Monsters?" "It seems like it? Your mother liked ancient history and linguistic work. Including Umbral. While I learned to command troops and rule the administration as my father - your grandfather - began losing his health to the illness, she would in meanwhile surround herself with books and scholars. She told me that a friend of hers, Erif, a religious scholar, brought this translated prophecy to her attention. I remembered about it when Lady Adrienne brought the news of Cymon's death. Took me a while to find your mother's old papers..." "Can we trust a Monster-written prophecy like this?" "That's... what we must find out. Monster-written or not, there's way too many events fitting into narrative right now. The first line is obvious, and the second is too. Lady Adrienne brought the 'ill news' while riding her pegasus, which has white wings. And if we take the fourth line as a mathematical riddle of sorts, then ten times fifty is five hundred - we're just a decade away from that number... Your mother first spoke about it twenty years ago... Perhaps, it is indeed, genuine thing. Father Erif might know better." "You've mentioned this 'Erif' twice now, father, who is he?" "There's one scholar, a man of the cloth, in his fifties, who's called Erif, in entirety of Hestia. Father Erif, he is in charge of the Temple of Our Lady of the Solemn Oath, where many Umi-worshipping scholars come to study in peace and security of its thick walls." "I shall visit him personally and-" "No! Seleth, you're not leaving the capital city on any errand right now. You're the Crown Prince and heir to the throne. Aland will go." The Princes looked at each other, and bowed their heads in submission.
"As you wish, Father." "Guards, find out if Lady Rodvaric has packed already, and bring her here." The pair of guards bowed and left the office on their errand.
"Ivy?" "Yes, as it turns out, she studied under Father Erif for few months, or so I've been told. He might not be very talkative, so I thought that the sight of former pupil might loosen his tongue." The King stood up and walked up to where Aland's companions were seated.
Lady Adrienne, I'm relieving you from your post as Ironclaw messenger. Someone else will take your place. From now on, you are to accompany Aland and his two bodyguards. Is that understood?"
"Miss, I assume you're a resident of this place, so I would like you to guide us so we can find your colleagues and Father Erif as quickly as possible. And, if you would give us your name, it would be much appreciated."
