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Post by Arcturus Caeruleus on Oct 11, 2012 20:20:10 GMT -5
He did not like the idea of coming to Medria. It was on the Queen's turf, and such was price of doing business. Perhaps it was rumor that she was a master of poisons that unnerved him. Being what he was, some alchemists argued that when he changed his shape the chemicals in his system changed as well. But he was not willing to risk it. His guard should have given him more comfort, like him many were Chamorphaguses, and could change to look like their enemies. But still it was Mordrena herself who he would haft deal with.
It had taken almost two weeks to arrive, the journey was much longer than he expected. When they arrived in Medria, the city seemed ominous and dark compared to the well dressed soldiers of Riedel in their silver and royal blue tabbards. Likewise from the west, storm clouds had begun rolling in and blackening the sky, soon all would be covered by darkness. They had passed through the gates by early evening and had proceed to Mordrena's palace. It towered over them as they dismounted from their horses, and Arcturus took a moment to glance up at its spires. Awe inspiring and dominant, it was more of lair though then a place of governance. Arcturus found this fitting.
A handful of his servants and guards were invited inside. The guards bowed with honor, and escorted them into main hall where the preceded to wait. He was not the only one who was nervous, he could sense it in his men as well. but Arcturus kept his composure stiff and his resolve unwavering. One of the servants came to address him after a minute. "The Queen will be with you shortly." Arcturus only nodded and then the servant bowed and went off on his way.
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Post by Mordrena of Medria on Oct 11, 2012 22:11:03 GMT -5
"Your majesty, Archduke Arcturus has arrived."
She rose from her chair to inspect her son's clothes. The purple ensemble seemed to fit him well, as they took a look at themselves in the mirror. She was wearing a black elegant dress and he was wearing a purple ensemble. Fixing his purple cloak, she turned at the guard.
"How long has he been waiting?"
"Approximately six minutes, your majesty."
She smirked. "Good, he will wait for another ten." she said. She was the authority here, that much had to be known. Today, as to her delight, she would play the game of games. Today she would talk behind closed doors and dark shadows. Today, she would rise from her ashes, in the sight of the Goddess of death. Not just her, but her kingdom as well.
"Mother, what am I supposed to do?"
She knelt in front of him and smiled, a really truthful smile. "You will be a Prince of Medria. You will bow to welcome our guests and you will take your place on the throne. You will watch what our guests and I say, and you will keep mental notes." She pinched his right cheek lightly and laughed. "Be a good boy. Be a good Prince."
The boy laughed and straightened himself. "Are you ready?"
"U-huh."
"Then let's go." she said, stood up and offered him her hand. They walked the long staircase together, and as they entered the throne room, Mordrena's smile faded. Instead, it was replaced with a cruel smirk.
The guards bowed, as she and her son bowed to their guests. "Archduke Arcturus, I am glad you have accepted my invitation." she said. "This is Prince Brandon of Medria, my son." she added, as the boy bowed. She made her way to the big table in front of the throne and sat at the head. Brandon made his way to the throne. "Leave us." she said to her guards, and then looked at Artcurus' host. "No need to have guards in here, I don't intend to kill you. Yet." she said, and smiled. "Let us talk in private, as you wished to, according to your letters."
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Post by Arcturus Caeruleus on Oct 12, 2012 16:14:15 GMT -5
He had waited a good fifteen minutes before given an audience with the Queen. If anything this changed Arcturus's attitude from nervous to annoyed. In the past he had been to meeting about the price of turnips that had longer waiting peroids, but the fact was Mordrena was intentionally making him wait for the hell of it, that he did not like nor appreciate.
After another minute or two he was greeted by a servant. "This way m'lord, your audience with the queen awaits." Arcturus exhaled sharply then moved to follow the servant who guided them into the Queen's throne room. At first Arcturus wanted to say something snarky about the wait, but that would do no one any good. So he let out a sigh and entered the throne room.
As the Queen descended down the staircase to her throne everyone bowed, save Arcturus who gave a nod of approval to the queen and her son. Despite being an Archduke he held the same legal standing as the minor kings, and the fact he did not carry the title king did not mean he did not deserve the same respect, nor would he show more to his equals.
"Thank you for the audience Queen Mordrena," He said then turned to the Prince. "And may you grow strong to lead your kingdom to greatness."
As Mordrena beckoned for the guards and guests to leave Arcturus snorted. Her threat put one of his guards at unease. The man went for his sword, but Arcturus caught him by the wrist before his hand landed on the hilt. "Leave all of you." He commanded.
There was a moment where only the guards footsteps could be heard clamping against the ground. He waited for the doors to shut behind them before speaking. "Finally we have our minute alone." He said. "No onto the business of holding the kingdom together."
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Post by Mordrena of Medria on Oct 12, 2012 20:08:09 GMT -5
If there was one lesson every lord and lady of Medria had to learn, then it was how to play the game.
Mordrena had learned it the hard way. Through the death of her loved one, through her mother's deceits and lies, through pain and suffering, she had learned how to be sinister and evil by neccessity. Sioure was a lake of snakes, and having realized that, she had decided to become the most poisonous of them all. Perhaps it was revenge that fueled her to continue, perhaps it was power that intrigued her so much that she wanted to have more... That was what she had been telling herself, but now she knew the truth.
It was love.
When you were in a lake of snakes, you had to be the strongest one in order to protect your loved ones. Even though many would say that she wasn't capable of love, she loved her son, and her kingdom. Not exactly her kingdom, but the fact that she had power over the people of her kingdom.
She listened to what the Archduke said, and smiled, barely. Archduke, what a stupid title. Why would someone choose that title over King? The answer to that question was quite obvious, as was the fact that Archduke Arcturus wouldn't choose a side. He wanted to be in favour of both the king and the minor kings.
The Archduke talked to her son. Another fake smile. Her son made her way to the throne, without responding to Arcturus. Good, he was already learning. No need to spend valuable saliva with a person that didn't deserve it.
She watched as one of his guards touched the hilt of his sword, and she smirked sarcastically, as if daring the guard to try and hurt her. She made her way to the head of the table and sat down as Arcturus' guards left the room.
"Please, sit." she said and pointed at the chair close to her own. "You can eat as well, I would suggest drinking our wine, produced in Pylia, the finest of Sioure." she said, and her finger touched the liquid that was inside her silver glass. From red, it turned to black, and then red again. She put the glass on her lips, and drank the red liquid. "Let us speak then. I am sure you have seen that the kingdom cannot be hold together under the power of the High King alone."
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Post by Arcturus Caeruleus on Oct 16, 2012 0:04:47 GMT -5
Arcturus casually took a seat near the Queen, but turned down her offering of wine. “I will pass on the wine, but if you have any bourbon whiskey I will gladly take that instead.” Arcturus preferred a little more kick in his drinks. Whiskey was more of a personal statement as well a real man’s drink. And since this meeting was a much a game as it was business, one had took act as good as played.
He looked at the Queen with content, like so many others they clung to a sovereign title that meant nothing during these times. He was looked down on for his title, his whole family was, they may be Archdukes but at least it there was one truth in it, and they were not the masters of their own lands. In the end all bent the knee to the Sioure King of Kings. The great house that Arcturus belonged to would not fool themselves by holding an honor that was in name only.
“The kingdom can’t hold itself period. It’s been a century since this false kingdom has existed as an imperial state, and the bonds that used to hold it together have frayed. Civil War is coming, no matter what anyone says.” Arcturus said looking down at the table, as if he was reluctant of the coming storm. “It will start with one of the kings stepping out line. One will declare he no longer recognizes the High King’s authority. The High King will summon the others as well as the Guardian to put the rebel king back in line. Some of the other kings will delay or withhold their support. Then everything will disintegrate into totally chaos. King against king in order to either establish ‘order’ or ‘freedom’. Then those vultures to the north, or the Endenesse will come to our doorsteps.”
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Post by Mordrena of Medria on Oct 22, 2012 10:51:42 GMT -5
Her husband used to say that what a man drank defined the man himself. Mordrena found it quite amusing that her late husband used to drink orange juice, and that this man drank bourbon. She gave him a smile and clapped her hands, as a maid made her way in, holding a bottle of bourbon. She poured the drink inside the Archduke's glass, and left the bottle on the table, as she made her way outside.
She listened to what the Archduke said, with mild amusement and laughed as he finished. "It seems that you have everything planned out, Archduke Arcturus." she said, and drank from her wine. "First of all, I would be in your debt if you didn't mention the term Empire inside my hall. It's been a thousand years since the Emperor invaded our lands, curse him in Seven hells, but still, no need to remind us of our misfortunes."
She cleared her throat. "You seem to assume that the Guardian of Sioure allegiance lies with the King. Also, you assume that the North and Enden don't have problems of their own and wait for the precise moment to strike us. When we are weak." she said, and shook her head. "That is your mistake. You assume too much." she added, and drank from her wine. "Because, Archduke, we are getting weaker as we speak."
She tapped her fingernails on the table. "The High King is weak. Each kindom grows stronger by the minute, and he lives in delusions of grandeur that you, me and the king of Casticus plant inside his head. Sioure bleeds and we do nothing to help our own nation."
She shook her head. "The Senate in the North has never been powerful enough. Enden is building a fleet to get rid of the pirates roaming their lands. They would never attack us, they have problems of their own. And yet we, the ones who hold true power, are reluctant to use it while Sioure bleeds under this King's rule."
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Post by Arcturus Caeruleus on Oct 22, 2012 20:18:53 GMT -5
"I do not have everything planned out." The Archduke replied quickly, I simply know how this ends. "Civil War." He tone was almost ominous. He tried not to chuckle about the comment about the Empire. Yes it was true in one time the Southern Kingdoms once ruled the whole continent but that time has passed. To hold a thousand year grudge was petty. "Our misfortunes will find us again if we don't unite together."
What was more concerning was the comment about the Guardian, and a possible lack of loyalty. "The Guardian will step in to put down anyone who steps out of line at first. If he does not stand behind the High King, he becomes just another rich man with a handful of troops. Perhaps if more kingdoms become rebellious he may step out of line. But his title is just that, if he does not stand up for the King and the Throne he will be out on the street. As for our rivals the Senate and the Islands, don't underestimate them. A very successful solution to national leadership challenges from wealthy nobles and a large military is a common enemy. One with large amounts a land to be invaded." He took a moment to take is glass of bourbon and hold it up to the light. Then he took a small sip of the bourbon, letting the flavors and aromas overwhelmed his senses.
The Queen went on about the kingdom being week. And that the cause of this problem was the High King. "We are weak but hold true power, the irony. The Kingdoms increase their troops on our orders do they not? I will not lie, I command three thousand men, but by the end of winter I plan to make that more than double. Two castles are soon to be finished in the east along the river and the main road. I don't doubt that everyone is fortifying themselves. But as far as the High King being the problem..." He stopped there. Going any farther could be seen as treason. "... I only answer to the High King, no matter what people think of his rule. When his line passes, I will answer to no one. The central hold will be under my rule alone."
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Post by Mordrena of Medria on Oct 25, 2012 11:54:48 GMT -5
The man in front of her was almost as interesting and resourceful as her late husband. She doubted he would ever raise his banners for a rightful cause, especially one so rightful as her own (which was to gain all power for herself), which was what made this meeting quite unpleasant and uninteresting. The man was so pathetic, and that much could be told only by his stupid title. Archduke, she wanted to puke.
However, Sioure had a tendency of spawning Kings and Queens out of nowhere. It was clear that the most common title in Sioure had once been (and always would be in her mind) King and Queen. His own title would prove to be the only thing that made him stand out from others. His apathy would prove to be his downfall.
She shook her head, obviously disappointed in what he said about the guardian. "Again, you assume too much. What if someone offers the Guardian a kingdom? Or more? Let me tell you how this story ends." she said, and gave him a smile that could be described so evil that she was almost like the Goddess of Death. "The rich man that you just mentioned becomes a king. A king with power and an army that will gladly fight by his side, since he was the one that was bleeding on the battlefield and not the High King." she said, and smiled again.
She didn't need to talk about the Senate and Enden. She had troubled herself with those threats for far too long. Now, it was high time she focused on the internal problems. She smirked when the Archduke seemed to test the bourbon. Good, he was afraid.
Or smart. Probably both.
"And you think the King doesn't know of your future strategies? Oh please, Archduke, I thought you were smarter than that. The King has us all confused by this false sense of security, and yet he has spies in every single court. Thankfully, Medria has her own." she said, and gave him another malicious smile. A smile that faded once he finished his sentence about the High King.
She shook her head, disappointed. "You disappoint me, Archduke. You speak of the kingdom being weak, and yet you prolong its suffering by taking no action. You're just like the rest of Sioure." she took a minute to let the words sink in. "Puppets to an unworthy man."
She continued. "I was such a puppet myself, I will not lie, for far too long. But, I have seen the light, Archduke. In the end, you do what the rest of Sioure does."
She drank her wine and let the glass hit the table. "You bend over to a worthless man."
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Post by Arcturus Caeruleus on Oct 25, 2012 21:47:19 GMT -5
Arcturus sighed as she spoke. He was disappointed, it was clear she only wanted all the power for herself. If she thought for a moment he would stand behind her she was insane as she was stupid. "Money is nothing more than a store of value or a medium of exchange. In its purest form it is a facilitator of the economy nothing more. In that regard the rich man would be just that, a facilitation to bring down the high king. Once the ends have been facilitated he will be cast aside, because money does not buy loyalty." Arcturus had enough of his guardian. "I'm not really making any assumptions other than the fact that in the end the Guardian is a dead end, he will not be enough to unite or save the Kingdoms."
He set his glass down and slightly frowned at the Queen's evil smirk. "I get it. You want to see the High King gone. But once he is gone there is nothing to hold the Southern Lands together. Do you not think that Casticus will bend the knee to either of us with his Ten thousand men? Together we don't have half his forces. There is only one solution whether you like it or not and that is inaction or time." Arcturus exhaled heavily and took another sip of his bourbon. The Archduke was not going to take a side, not yet that is. There was an awkward silence for a moment then Arcturus broke it. Perhaps he was playing or showing his hand too soon, but none the less it was a game changer.
"I'm going to march on Elansis, declare the Eastern Hold a rebellious province that needs to be reclaimed in the name of the High-King. I will have doubled my army by then, and I will request half the High King's Army for the invasion. By Early summer I plan to secure the banks of the river that is the Elansis border, and await a counter-attack." he said flatly. But he continued before the Queen said anything. "Now in this time, the capital will be considerably weak from, lets be hypothetical, an assault from the West was to come, and the High King was unseated in technical terms. There would not be a whole lot I could do about it." Let her think he was a man of inaction now.
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