BlackBlade
Planetoid
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2023
Aramis, the Elven king of Glantri City, stood on the balcony of his chambers, gazing down at the gardens below. Brilliant colors of reds and yellows dominated among the flowers below, bordered by lush green hedges that were at least to shoulder height now. He would have the gardeners take them down a bit. Aramis did not like the hedges being too tall to see over. The high walls at the far end of the royal gardens held back the expanse of grass and gentle hills rolling off to the north, where a small river turned mighty as it twisted east to the sea. Beyond that river, Aramis gazed upon the snow-capped mountains that held the border of his lands, and the pang of desire stirred once more in his belly.“Apologies, Lord Aramis,” an attendant said at his chamber doors. The tall, thin man gave a deep bow to Aramis’s back. “The Lord Chamberlain is waiting in the war room. He has been tended to, yet has reminded that the hour grows late.”
Aramis sighed and turned to face the handsome young man. He gave a slight nod. “Tell D’Saad I would see to him presently. I but give pause to enjoy the dawn, and would linger a moment longer. The queen has yet to rise from comfort of sleep, yet I would slip from chambers and disturb her no longer.”
“At once, my lord.” The attendant bowed and closed the door silent, heading back down to see to Lord Chamberlain D’Saad.
Aramis turned and glanced at the large four-poster bed that dominated the room. His Queen, Alaina, still slumbered as deeply as the statuary in the gardens below. He would not disturb her, and attend to his morning meetings with his advisors and councilors. Passing the through the hallway of the living quarters, the Elven king took pause at the door at the far end, where their only child and daughter, Caelynn also slept. Or was she already awake and seeing to her horses at the stables?
Aramis smiled fondly, yet with sadness in his eyes. He gave a deep sigh and wondered how things would have played out had he and Alaina given birth to a boy, an heir to the realm. Those thoughts were fruitless now, since Caelynn was fast approaching her age of majority. She would need to be married off soon to some suitable prince or other in a neighboring kingdom, a fate for which he and Alaina were dreading. They did not want to see their only daughter away from these lands, the very fields and valleys she had enjoyed as a child. Yet Glantri was a weakening power within the realm, and Aramis would not see it fall to ruin without great alliances.
And yet, the Gift was no more. Gone was the Gift, and magick had yet to be seen nor experience in the realm for several millenia. There had been rumors, of course, yet none of those rumors panned out. Now, with each new Elven child born, the hopes and prayers of Elven kings and queens across the known continent were all dashed upon the rocks, for the legend foretold of an Elven child that would bring magick back to the world. And yet, in all the seven millenia of the Gift’s passing from this world, none had seen its wonders upon the face of the world. Even the great dragons had fled, pegasi and unicorns, all the wondrous beasts of the land and air were no longer among the Elves or men. Hope had dwindled to the drudgery of manual labors and the limits of a physical world.
At one point, a hundred standard years past, Aramis and Alaina had thought they had given birth to the one, yet the legend was not to be within their loins. They did not produce the Gift Bringer, the one who would usher back the age of Magick within the realms.
“You’ve been musing upon the matter again, my lord,” D’Saad said, offering a bow to his king. “I would steer mind to more pressing matters.”
Aramis sighed and took his seat at the head of the long table. “What matters press deeper than the lack of magick within the world, my lord chamberlain? Is it not enough that our only child shall not carry our name to ages beyond? She is to be wed, perhaps to some unworthy prince or other, in a land far from these shores. She is to leave my queen and me, only to be lost in obscurity and mediocrity.”
“My lord,” D’Saad said kindly, “to dwell on such matters is to bring heart to weighted depths. Turn to matters that would secure our future, for our safety and security.”
Aramis turned his gaze to his chief advisor and nodded at last.
D’Saad continued. “Your cousin, Lord Dresden in the north, would press for more lands, south of his. He asks for the River Sienneca be made available to him and his people. Even now, as we speak, sightings of his forces threaten a cross of the borders. To our south, the tribes of the Gendai continue to make incursions to the villages upon the grassy plains. Those lands have been possessions of Glantri for over five millennia now, and the Gendai know this. Yet their raiding parties have destroyed small villages and captured prisoners and slaves. We would quell such marauding with a small division.”
Aramis nodded solemnly. “Yes, my lord. See to the Minister of War, and have him draw up such plans. But I would focus more concentration on my cousin, Dresden, in the north. What if you would extend invitation to Dresden and his family, to come visit us here in the south? It has been an age since last we saw them, yes? If we bring them inside our realm, I would but see clearly within his eyes his true intentions. And then you and I can gauge the man and see to his resolve…or crush him in the attempt.”
D’Saad bowed deeply. “A fine plan, my lord. I shall make the arrangement.”
A flicker of movement caught the king’s attention. Out the door, in the hallway, a wistful shadow and wondrous form passed by! Caelynn! His daughter was up an dabout, and Aramis smiled with admiration.
“I see my daughter has taken to foot. I would end this discussion now, Lord D’Saad, and see to my daughter before she is off upon her horse and flees to the valleys and river. We would scarce see her until evening meal.”
The two men rose from the table and D’Saad gave another bow. “As you wish, my lord.”
Aramis nodded and strode to the doorway, looking left and right to find where Caelynn had run off to.
