In the Cyrene Kingdom, the town of Neim, near the Neim border two men prepared for their departure.
"We should be heading back to Eraregord, they've been expecting you," Llewellyn Charter, the captain of the C.L. Charter said to the man beside him, General Lucian Williams.
They've delayed their stay at Neim long enough, the general thought to himself. The royal court sent out a letter requesting his presence for the arrival of the next queen. However, in the general's eyes, his expectations for the girl were low.
Seeing as the only other commanding position higher than the general was the King, his mother, Queen Orizelle, was fond of tampering with the cardinal, in an attempt to upgrade her son's status.
Orizelle wanted to keep the throne in her family. She hoped that tampering would deem the entity unfit to choose the next successor, forcing the throne to remain with her family, even after her reign is over.
Although Lucian, her son, never agreed nor consent to her plans or actions, she was still his mother. Her trial was swift as she pleaded guilty to the high council of the crimes charged against her, and Lucian's involvement was denied, which was the truth.
"Are you going to be brooding the entire ride cause if you are, I'd be more than happy to let you walk your way to the castle?" Llewellyn said playfully to the man he considered his best friend.
Lucian chuckled at his remark, "I'm touched, I didn't think you'd notice especially after coming home with that red-haired beauty you thought would go unnoticed."
A low smirk started to form on Lucian's face as his load was gathered by the maids who placed his things in the carriage.
The look on Llewellyn's face was enough to throw a person into a fit of laughter.
Lucian walked out of the manor they stayed in and towards the carriage only to turn back and yell, "Don't worry, I won't tell Clarissa a thing." He let a low chuckle flow through him because he knew that he didn't have to tell his mate a thing for her to realize he was unfaithful again.
Although Llewellyn and Clarissa were mates, he always saw the girl as a sister that needed watching over despite his iron-clad bond with Llewellyn.
"Load the carriage, we'll leave at noon." Lucian didn't want to delay their stay any longer than they already have.
"Yes General," The Neim soldiers that accompanied them were meant to assure that the captain and the general arrive at and leave the manor safely.
Though, communications with the Neim soldiers were a bit rough considering English was not their mother tongue.
A few months ago, the magistrate of the city had sent in reports of mercenaries who had gone rogue and resulted in robbery and murder of Neim citizens.
Eventually, the mercenaries gained control of trade in the town and sold goods to Neim citizens at three times the original price. Which directly bled the civilians in the town of their money.
The majority of the population of the people in the town of Neim were humans. Though knowing of the existence of the supernaturals that walked among them, the fear that had shown through their eyes upon the arrival of the captain and infamous general.
The current ruler of Cyrene sent word to Nydisia to take care of the issue but due to the faint numbers in the military, the general and the captain took care of the matter discreetly while the remainder of the Nydisian military continued to train at the base.
For the past six months after the death of Queen Orizelle, Lucian and the captain have been infiltrating trade in the town to gain back control and round up the mercenaries.
The other kingdoms can't be aware of the current state of the Nydisian military. If they did their goal would be to take the kingdom and the cardinal with them.
The cardinal determined the kingdom that ruled over the other kingdoms and possession of it would shift the hierarchy of the kingdoms.
Interestingly enough, the general was very cautious when agreeing to help Cyrene. He believed that the Cyrene kingdom could've taken care of the mercenary threat themselves without involving another kingdom.
It was as if they were trying to test the strength of Nydisia's military, Lucian thought to himself. Either way, he knew he had to tread carefully. The rebellion within Nydisia was causing enough trouble on its own.
Ever since the decree was signed, the Zelanian Kingdom has been trying to get their hands on the cardinal and overthrow Nydisia as the reigning kingdom in all the lands.
As it is if word was to get out about the condition of Nydisia's army to the Zelanian ruler, Nydisia might not be able to withstand an attack from both Zelania and the rebellion.
--Approaching the Castle, Center of Eraregord, Sunset--"How does it feel to be back General Williams?" Llewellyn smirked almost knowingly, Lucian instantly knew he was talking about Victoria.Lucian had assumed a position in the Kingdom's military and worked his way up the ranking to where he is now. The only ranking higher than that of a general was the king.When Lucian became the general he was assigned to a mission near the infernal valleys as per his mother's request, conveniently taking him away from Victoria at the time they were to be wed.Lucian's mother had her own personal reasons and vendetta for not wanting Victoria to be her daughter in law and in her sick twisted way, she was right.Lucian turned his head slightly and spoke with a blank expression, "Victoria is no longer my concern."Before Llewellyn had a chance to respond, the carriage stopped and the guards surrounding the gate of the capital city verified
--Before the General's Arrival, The Castle - Left Wing, Living Quarters--"The General will arrive soon and until the General arrives, attend to Miss Katherina. Take her around the castle, most especially help her settle down." Lord Killian said to the maid that was assigned to take care of Miss Katherine.Katherine stirred as she heard a familiar voice speak, her head was throbbing due to her bumping her head on the carriage door. It felt slightly better due to the ice around her forehead.She could hear footsteps approach her but Katherine's futile attempts to pretend to be sleeping didn't fool the maid as the girl said, "Milady, I know you're awake,"Katherine's eyes slowly swung open to see a young girl with dark brown eyes smiling at her. "My name is Lily, Lord Killian asked me to tend to your well being-,""Wait," Katherine said abruptly, interrupting the young maid. She began to feel bad at her sudden outburst so she smiled
--The Nydisian Kingdom, The Castle, The Royal Court--"How does it feel to be King?" Llewellyn half-joked as he and Lucian walked through the halls of the royal court of Nydisia.The crown had now been officially passed unto Lucian until the girl, Katherina Daventin, ascends the throne. "Is it supposed to feel any different?" Lucian queried his friend, with his eyebrow that raised perfectly.Lucian smirked knowingly. Before and after becoming King of Nydisia, the entire kingdom has always been under his rule. The only difference is that with the crown his rule is absolute.Llewellyn chuckled while shaking his head as they walked through one of the entrances of the gardens that connected the court and the palace. "You know the people would prefer it this way,""And what way is that?" Lucian had a fair idea of what the people wanted.Llewellyn frowned as he turned to look Lucian in the eye under the scorching hot sun. He stopp
--The Nydisian Kingdom, Country of Balewen, Wikerstone Manor--The ladies in waiting alongside Minister Wikerstone's youngest daughter gossiped freely while having their afternoon tea.Word had spread in less than a day that the General had returned and has now assumed the position of King.Everyone in the kingdom knew just how powerful the general was and for him to ascend the throne did three things to the citizens of Nydisia.Those that hoped to oppose him, hid in their own shadows. Those that hoped to gain his favour, continued to seek it. And those that hoped to be his wife, were more determined than ever now that he was King."Oh, you don't have to be rude about it, Macie. I'm merely pointing out that if he was to be wed, it wouldn't be with someone that can't fit into her newly made corsets," Lady Murie retorted while placing her teacup back on her tray.The woman who went by the name Lady Macie was fuming at Lady Mur
--The Nydisia Kingdom, The Castle, The Right-Wing Living Quarters--"My lady, the King requested that this letter is to be delivered to you and that you have breakfast with him in the dining hall," Lily said, passing the letter one of her fellow maids had given to her.Katherine inhaled as Lily tied her corset from the back. The dresses Katherine had received were luxurious and more expensive compared to the ones she had at Lady Morgan's manor.Seeing as Lily didn't make the corset unbreathable tight, the dress Katherine wore was very comfortable and fit for a lady that was to appear in front of a king to wear.Lily had offered to do her hair but Katherine refused. She always felt more relaxed with her long wavy hair resting calmly around her lower waist.After drinking the iced tea that Lily had specifically brought as per Katherine's request. Katherine opened the letter from the King and it read:To Lady Katherina Dave
--The Nydisian Kingdom, The Castle, Dining Hall--Immediately, Katherine knew he was talking about her avoidance of eye contact. She turned to look at him, but the presence of the maids had already captured his attention.They all murmured 'Milady' or 'Milord' as they dropped our meals. The food smelled divine but Katherine couldn't muster much of an appetite.She didn't really pay attention to the food as she was more curious as to what the King had to say to her. "I prefer to be called Katherine, milord," Katherine said respectfully then reached forward to grasp a cup of water."Very well, you may address me as Lucian. Forgive me if there have been any inconveniences." She silently shook her head.He seems so straightforward and uptight, it was quite difficult to know what he'd be offended by, she thought to herself."Are you not hungry?" Lucian frowned at her whilst he was munching on a breadstick and sipping what was eit
--The Nydisian Kingdom, The Castle, Left-Wing--Katherine couldn't help but stare at the garden from her room balcony as the sun was starting to rise. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Lily was trying to get her attention."The Captain is requesting your presence, milady, I've already taken your bag downstairs. I wish you a safe journey." Lily said while packing the last bit of Katherine's load. Katherine smiled at the maid that has been nothing but kind since her arrival.Considering it's been less than a week since Katherine's arrival in the castle, the King was kind enough to have her closet filled with fine attire.As Katherine made her way down the stairs, she crossed paths with the man she had begun to tolerate, Lord Killian.He respectfully bowed her way as Lily greeted him. Katherine turned back briefly to notice shared glances between Lord Killian and Lily.The General and the King, mention
--The Nydisian Kingdom, Eraregord, Othes Forest--After several failed attempts of trying to build a fire. Katherine finally managed to do so with the help of Llewellyn, of course."I believe I was five when I built my first fire," Llewellyn chuckled in a lame attempt to tease her."Well not everyone had such an eventful childhood," Katherine said while rolling her eyes and finding a comfy spot of grass to lay on."Enlighten me, how so?" Katherine barely spoke about her life before Lady Morgan, it was uncomfortable reliving those memories but as time passed, one could say it didn't bother her as much."I grew up in a town full of bandits and my parents were both alcoholics and gamblers." Katherine sighed.Her mother was probably the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She had midnight black hair and her eyes were so bright and warm. Katherine's heart ached thinking about the faded memories of her mother."What hap