Magda smiled as she waited for a response, but was surprised by the entrance of someone coming to get Clarice. Standing up slowly, she followed the princess out of the room. She wouldn’t leave her alone.
Throne Room
Selene sat on her throne with her hands in her lap, her eyes fixed only on her daughter. She was here. A happy smile curled her lips as she was so thankful that Tempest was ok. Tears of joy rolled down her cheeks. Joffrey did not get to her. But hearing her daughter’s words, her smile melted into sorrow. Feeling Tempest’s guilt like a cold win, the princess stood up on her throne. Walking down to her daughter, she crouched down to look at her “My baby…This cannot be your fault. You are your father’s light and joy…not his despair and doom.” With that, Selene pulled her daughter in for a hug.
Magda stepped into the room slowly only to stare ahead in horror. Orion? Was it him? As her dream flashed through her head again…she fainted.
“Face it, Sirus, we’re lost.” The rotund squire of Prince Sirus of the Fae said with a sad face. His ass was now so sore from being on horseback, travelling the lands for days and days at the Prince’s whim, that he was ready to turn tale and head back to the Willow. Sirus on the other hand, was hopeful. He could see a large group of Knights on horseback, all galloping up from a field, and they seemed to be heading for the large castle in the distance. Could it be they stumbled on an allied Kingdom of his mother’s? And if so….would his chance of finding a new place to call home, be worth this trek? He kicked his horse’s flank and galloped off to catch up with the Knights, with the squire Klaus groaning. “Must you!” He tried to get his horse to go faster, but the poor thing was just as tired as he was. So…he fell back, while the Prince caught up with the lead Knights.
Soon the horses charged through the castle gates and all pulled up on mass in the royal courtyard, with many dismounting, and readying themselves to go present the show of support to the King, Henry of Casterly. With all the excitement, Sirus followed along, looking every part a Lord in his dress, right down to his sword. He noticed one Knight that stood out from the rest; Sir Wayne.
“To the throne room, my brothers. Sir Wayne said firmly, and all followed his lead, as he started his march inside. It was quite spectacular, and Sirus being the curious one he was, fell in step coming up from behind. This was one way of meeting the Royals of Casterly, even if he was not a Knight of that realm.
Throne Room
Hearing Tempest’s outburst, and of course Magda passing out on the cold stone floors, the King fell back in his throne. Clearly there was much more to this than met the eye, with Tempest feeling guilt over her father’s misadventures. The problem was, he could not let such an action against the House of Casterly go unnoticed, not with the assembled family before him. He was King, and had to act in the best interest of the people and the Angels near and far. Selene offered nothing but sympathy to her daughter, not shedding any light on what made the Demon Prince change to a murderous tyrant.
At that moment, the doors to the Throne room opened, and on mass, the Knights of the House entered, and then all drew their swords and knelt before the King. Sirus watched at first, then he too drew his sword and knelt, keeping up the charade that he was a Knight too.
“My King….we, the brothers of the Knighthood, stand ready at your orders in what may come against the Vaas Lands.” Sir Wayne said, with Sir Reginald at his side.
The King rose from his throne, and then looked down to his wife and daughter Clarice, moving his hand to caress Clarice’s cheek in a show of affection, before doing what he must. He took two steps down and nodded with thanks to his Knights.
“As of this day…we the Kingdom of Casterly are now at war with the House of Brax. All allies will be notified, and a show of force, unseen before this day, will strike down at the House of Brax….its King…and its Son. There will be no treaties…no second chances. Only with a firm hand and by God’s witness, we shall end the tyranny. I, King Henry Casterly shall join you, my Brothers at arms. Our swords combined with that of our hearts and minds….shall end the Brax, and I will have vengeance. Prince Joffrey’s head….will be mine.”
He then unsheathed his Angel sword, that glowered brightly, radiating the power of Christ, and his guiding light.
“TO VICTORY!” He roared, the Lion had returned. All his Knights rose, including Sirus, who had then noticed Tempest, and appeared shocked. What was she doing here?
“GOD SAVE THE KING!…..LONG LIVE HOUSE CASTERLY!” The knights shouted, their swords held aloft.
<3>
She heard her mother’s words to her but took no comfort from them. She didn’t even respond when her mother hugged her. The guilt was simply too much for the young woman.
The doors burst open and her grandfather’s knights strode into the room. She listened with a heavy heart as the King declared war on her father and the House of Brax and she didn’t think her spirits could sink any lower.
It was entirely her fault and she didn’t know how to fix this.
She gained her feet, wiping tears from her eyes. She remained in place, still awaiting the words from her grandfather that would announce her fate but took a glimpse around at the knights that had gathered in the throne room and spotted a familiar face in the crowd.
“Sirius!” her mind screamed. What was he doing here?
The Queen still remained with her worried and disturbed expression. This was the best she could act at a situation like this. I didn’t fancy her knowing they would go in a war against the vampires. And it sadden her that Selene will lose her husband. Metia knows maybe Joffrey might not be the same like before, but she also understands how hard it can be for her daughter to know her husband, the father of her children, decided to kill her uncle, and now they are going in a war against them. People do change, but the evil ones, will always have that little evil of them inside, that might not ever leave their bodies.
Metia watched Selene comforting her daughter, but Selene remained quiet, the girl really thought it was her fault, which was such a shame, now it was going to be hard remove the all guilt she has upon her shoulders. And if somebody else dies, Selene will only feel more guilty, which isn’t good, since its not her fault. Taking a deep breath, the queen wrapped her arms around her little daughter’s waist, and remained her closer. While the little princess seemed to be more busy holding the pocket of her dress, to not let her small turtle fall from it, or people find out she brought a turtle in here.
Soon the huge doors of the throne room would get open again, this time it was the warriors, waiting for the word of the King. The way everybody worked in synchrony was amazing, and Clarice watched it all very interested, even tho the subject was about war. She looked up at her father once he caressed her cheek, and she only stared up at him, still slightly confused, but at least her eyes would show that she was finally liking him. Then he began to speak, and now she had her all questions answered, they was going in war, and her father would join the battlefield, she knew what happens in wars, and she didn’t wanted her father to go fight down there, and from the grip that Metia’s hands had around Clarice’s waist, it would say that her mother didn’t wanted Henry go, but that’s his duty, and they will have to respect it.
Selene sighed and pulled back from her daughter. What could she say to Tempest that could make it all better? Nothing. Joffrey was on a rampage. Except…was it really the Joffrey both Selene and Tempest love? She couldn’t even answer that herself. The princess knew the sort of anger the demon prince was capable of, but she never imagined he would start a war against her own blood. Selene couldn’t sense the bond between her and her husband anymore, and that was enough to convince her that Joffrey was not himself. As her father declared war on the demon prince and knights arrived, it all began to sink in. The fog cleared in her mind as she spun around to face the king. It was happening. Her father wanted her husband’s head. Stepping closer to Tempest, she grabbed her daughter’s hand and spoke quietly “Everything will be ok…it will.” But would it? Selene looked to Rashna and Ira desperately, her eyes searching their faces as she silently begged for them to speak up.
Lucan sighed when Rashna stepped away from him, but his eyes soon fell on Magda. Seeing where she was looking, he followed her eyes to Ira. “Dear lord…” He gasped. Looking back just in time to see the handmaiden fainting yet again, he rushed over and caught her . Lowering her to the floor, he placed his hands on her head and closed his eyes. Soon enough, Magda’s eyes fluttered open.
Sitting up slowly, the mermaid looked around. Seeing Ira, she gasped Orion! He is alive?” But Lucan shook his head no and pulled her into a hug.
The young warlock could sense that man’s presence was similar, but not the same as Orion. They had Orion’s head, after all. But Magda was confused by her own grief, and Lucan knew that. Keeping his arms around her, he began to stroke her hair but said nothing.
Selene looked to her son and sighed. Things were a mess, and it was her own fault. Why had she left her husband behind? Squeezing her daughter’s hand, she then stepped forward and looked at her father imploringly “Father…please…do we know that it is truly Joffrey who is doing such unspeakable acts? Perhaps dark magic is involved. It fooled me once, perhaps it is fooling him…”
Blazing light entered one of the throne room windows, and then a smaller angel landed, one that carried a satchel, and wore a felt hat, that had a long feather protruding from it. With bare feet, the angel approached Ira and Rashna, bowing as his wings started to close in behind. Digging into the satchel, the Angel pulled out a scroll, and handed it to Ira, before stepping back and awaiting to receive orders. With a grim expression, he broke the seal, and unfurled it, as Rashna looked on, her eyes red rimmed from tears. The news….was dire. The King was already standing in amongst his Knights, when Ira’s voice loudly proclaimed what he had just read.
“The war has begun. Intelligence reports, have indicated mass movement within the Night lands. A grand army under the control of King Brandon himself. Orc, Vampires, dark elves, goblins, trolls. Hundreds of thousands have started their march, Brother. There is no time to lose now. We must prepare now….or face most certain defeat.”
This would not be what Metia, or Selene wished to hear, but it was the sickening truth. Regardless of what Prince Joffrey had done, to their family, by the killing of Orion, now…the war was heading straight for them.
The King had heard Selene’s pleas, and it was not that they fell on deaf ears, he simply could not overlook the fact that their nation had already moved to a war footing. The head of Orion….was the announcement of war.
“I’m sorry, Selene. Whatever happened to your husband is no longer our concern. We have a people, and a nation to protect. It is our duty.’ He sighed as he reached out to stroke her hair tenderly. “Promise me one thing. Take care of Tempest. If you have failed in the past as her mother, now is your chance to make amends….before its too late for us all.”
The battle horns were sounding all across the Castle grounds, and the Knights rose, awaiting instructions to prepare for war. The King did not disappoint.
“My brothers..my Knights. Gather all the armies of Casterly, all the horses. We set off within the hour.” As his Knights started to file out, the King went back up to the throne, and knelt before Metia and Clarice. He placed his large hand over both of those and said with a smile.
“We will be a family again. I promise. I shall return victorious.” He then rose, and kissed each on the forehead, and then turned to head out. He headed to his chambers to dress as a King should for battle.
Rashna and Ira were left behind, while one of the last to leave was Sirus. Clearly he had now been swept up in this war, and cause that he knew nothing about. He looked back at Tempest, and then followed the other Knights, much to the horror of his squire, who didn’t want to be in the King’s army.
<3>
Lucius had plucked the white flower for her a few leagues back. The trio had walked as soon as they had reached the land Karena’s parents once called home, thanks to a spell that Angel had casted on them before they left. The Elf Queen had insisted that she would need no magic aide, but Angel had cast the spell anyway. It seemed Misrelines were quite stubborn.
The three had walked all the way to The Willow, though the Queen had remained outside of it’s reach. She claimed that it was not yet time for her Earthen brethren of this land to meet her yet. Lucius had simply rolled his eyes and led Karena to the castle.
They hadn’t gotten very far when they were stopped by none other than the current Lady Latuline. She was not what Karena had expected, but because of that, the girl was instantly enamored with her. Lucius had explained the coming war and the Jamesons’ apparent role in it, but all Winona asked would be if they would be fighting on the side of Casterly. The warlock had hesitated, but Karena had been quick to say yes.
Now, the four walked steadily toward the castle gates, three out of the four heads held high. Lucius’ out of stubbornness and pride, Winona’s out of nervousness at the prospect of seeing an old friend, and Celandiam’s out of practiced propriety. Karena’s was bent over her flower, as if it were just a toy she’d been given to behave. They were not stopped at the gate, but a few guards approached them after they entered. Winona’s jaw twitched slightly, but it was Lady Celandiam that answered their questions – and shut them right up when she muttered something in a beautiful string of Elvish, before remedying her statement.
“We are here to offer our assistance to King Henry and his House.” One guard asked who had the right, and that was when Lucius decided to speak. “Daughter of the Lord of Stormwind Keep, Lady Latuline of the Fae, myself, and… the daughter of the Moon, better known as Lady Celandiam, Queen of the Free Elves.” The guards started at the four with wide eyes, almost as if they didn’t realize they were as majestic as the titles that the others bore. Without a word, a guard turned and ran off to alert the King.
“You’re too proud.” “Watch it, little girl.” “Lucius, be nice to her, she’s a lady.” “She’s about as much a lady as I am.” “Well then I am quite a lady, it seems.” “Children.”
Selene looked at her father as tears welled up. He spoke the truth. This was all bigger than her marriage. Their whole kingdom was in jeopardy, and it was her husband’s fault. As King Henry caressed her hair, she closed her eyes and took solace in his touch. So often her daddy had taken care of her and cleaned up her messes. She was a woman and a mother now; she had to clean up her own mess. Opening her eyes, the princess reached out to caress his cheek “Be careful, Daddy. We will be here waiting for you.” As her father turned to bid farewell to his wife and other daughter, Selene walked over to her own daughter. Seeing that Tempest was looking somewhere, she followed her gaze to see Sirius. A small smile curled her lips as she bowed her head politely to the retreating knight. Turning back to Tempest, she asked softly “Is he someone special to you? He is quite dashing.” Taking Tempest’s hand in her own, she sighed “Come…let us sit with your grandmother and aunt. We will be safe here and shall be the first to hear any news from the battle. All we can do is wait, my dove.”With that, she turned and headed up to her own throne. Taking a seat, she folded her hands in her lap and tried to be positive and strong. Her own family’s kingdom was at war against her own husband, a man who had murdered her uncle and wanted more blood. What had she done to deserve this? What had her daughter done to deserve such a broken family?
Magda pulled away from Lucan when she saw her mistress in such despair. Her time of grieving had to be over, there were far too many people who needed her help and attention. Standing up straight, she smoothed her skirts down. Walking over to Tempest, she offered a small smile “You are so strong, Princess.” It was all she could offer. Bowing respectfully, the handmaiden then walked up to Selene and bowed low “Princess…I am grieved for your losses. Please, is there anything I can do?”
Selene smiled gently as she looked down at the mermaid. With a finger, she gestured for the handmaiden to stand up. “Magda, dear, all I ask is that you are given a fresh bath and a moment to dress in appropriate attire. You have a right to grieve as much as us all. Right now, it would be best if you had a moment to collect yourself.”
Magda rose slowly and offered a tentative smile “Pardon, your grace, but I have already had a moment to collect myself. My wish is to serve you.” Looking down at her clothes, however, she had to agree. Her slave dress was distasteful and far too revealing for this kingdom. A blush settled on her cheeks and she looked up at the princess.
The princess still smiled gently and turned to look at her mother “Is there someone who can help her find suitable clothing?”
“Is he someone special to you? He is quite dashing.”
“I…don’t know.” Tempest admitted. How could she admit Sirus was special to her, when she didn’t know how she felt. Her emotions were a mess and she just wanted to be alone.
“Come…let us sit with your grandmother and aunt. We will be safe here and shall be the first to hear any news from the battle. All we can do is wait, my dove.”
“No. I…just want to be alone.” she stated, turning to face her mother. “Don’t you understand? This is my fault! Mine! And I…don’t know how to fix it!” She felt tears in her eyes once more and bowed her head. “I wish I’d never left home.” she stated in misery. Selene said nothing, moving to sit next to her mother and sister. As Magda passed by her, she whispered her own encouragement to Tempest.
“You are so strong, Princess.”
Tempest wanted to throw her hands up and scream. Nobody understood what she was feeling. How could they?
Turning on her heel, she stormed from the throne room. She didn’t know where she was going, having never set foot in Haven Castle before today. All she knew was she needed a place to be alone and miserable without anyone hovering over her and telling her things that were not true. She truly felt this war was all her doing and did not know how to fix it.
Castle Gardens
She didn’t know how, but she found her way to the gardens and collapsed upon a bench, her hands over her face. She began to sob out her misery and heartbreak and sent out a prayer to whomever was listening that all her family, including her father, remained safe and whole. People were going to die, that was unavoidable, but she hoped the ones she loved came out of this ordeal safe and alive.
The Queen stayed quiet on her throne and watched everything unfold in front of her, the way her daughter went to her father and tell him that maybe Joffrey isn’t the one really doing this all, maybe the darkness is fooling everybody. But like Henry said, Joffrey isn’t our concern right now, they need to go out and protect their people, their kingdom and their family. Plus the head of Orion was totally a call for war, and Metia highly doubted her husband would let this split without a war, or some kind of revenge. She just hoped he could come back home safe, she didn’t wanted to lose him, not right after everything had settled down and got back to normal between them all.
The enemy was already approaching to their lands and ready to strike, now it was her husband’s goal to just go off to the battlefield as well with the rest of the warriors. Metia looked up at her husband once he approached closer to her and to Clarice, the both of them stared at him like they was begging him to stay, even tho that look could be more seen on Metia than on Clarice. Maybe because Metia had already faced Joffrey’s demon before? Maybe because she and Joffrey had already fought? Or because of King Brandon, she knew how this vampires were, and she wasn’t so sure if her kingdom would be strong enough, she knows she always needs to think positive, but everybody thinks about the bad consequences, and its frustrating for those that the only thing they can do, is just wait, either for the them dead or alive.
Metia gulped and closed her eyes for a second, just enjoying the goodbye kiss he gave her upon her forehead. Clarice enjoyed it as well, and she even smiled at him, before move her little hand like she was saying good-bye as he was walking away to get himself ready.
After this, its like Metia closed her own mind for the world, and just stay stuck in her thoughts. The only thing that made her snap out of her thoughts was Selene’s voice asking her if there would be someone who could help Madga on having another clothes. Metia slowly turned her head around, and looked at Selene, as the information slowly processed in her mind. Once she realized what it really was, Metia only forced a smile.
“Oh-yes, sure.”
She finally answered, and snapped her fingers, making a maid quickly show up on her side.
“Please take Madga to the maids chambers, and allow her to take a bath and give her some decent clothing.”
Metia told the maid, as this one simple nodded and bowed at the Queen, before look at Madga and show her a smile.
“Please follow me.”
The maid told Madga, and just turned around to start walking out of the throne room, and head to the maid chambers, where Madga could take a bath on the bathroom that the maids had, and then find her some better clothing.
At this moment, Metia was watching Selene storming off the throne room, and could only take a deep sigh, not really knowing if she should go after her and talk to her out, or simple let the young girl calm herself, and have some time for her. That’s what she used to do when her children were emotional teens.
“Being a mother isn’t so easy, huh?”
Metia said to Selene, as she stared down at Clarice. The little princess right now, took her turtle from the small pocket of her dress and keep caressing it again.
