The main road of the capital was wide, allowing several carriages to flow through side by side. When the bd gold banner was carried by the Knights, none dared to step onto the road for at least a thousands paces.

  Within the capital was home to millions, it holding as many people as there were iirety of the north.

  There were a great maes within the capital, each sprawled into the hill side. Every estate was staffed by at least several dozen staff, but those which beloo the greater houses were staffed by hundreds. Every ate looked down towards the oners, separated by the hills, walls, and the river.

  The oners lived on ft nd, where they belohe thick outer walls protected them, but they were also between the nobles and whatever threat may e, though there had been no threat which had mao reach the gates of the capital in some time.

  Though the nobles looked over the oners, there was one supreme noble who looked above even the nobles within the capital from atop the pace. The pace y oallest hill, and overlooked the ey of the capital, and the ke which was no more than half a mile away.

  The King tapped the table, made of sturdy deadwood like most of the pieces in the war room, staring down at the map pced onto it. For once, he was waiting for others, those four who held the keys to the Kingdom.

  Eastsea.

  Goldport.

  Lio.

  Bow.

  Three of them had arrived in a timely mahough it was always Boere te, as one might have expected.

  King Bckwater couldn’t help but feel a little impatient.

  He had do.

  He had mao cim a victory, one which would pave the way to future success.

  However, that was not the only reason why he called the cil. As any ruler, he was bound by domestic politics. There were steps which he o take to make sure the foundation of his rule remaiable.

  The sounds of steps echoed through the hallway as they arrived. The first was a man in his mid fifties, handsome, with sun kissed hair and o blue eyes. He wore the typical attire of the Aldish beh a a breastpte, and he wore a bde at his side, one of the feas blessed with su ability.

  The King worried little about the bde, due to the fact that the King’s Sword stht beside him, and there were at least a dozen other Knights who were no further thay steps from him.

  “Yrace,” Duke Lio called, approag the King, bowing his head slightly.

  “Duke Lio,” the King replied, shaking the man’s hand. If it had been any other here may have been a problem, but Duke Lio was a staunch ally.

  “King’s Sword,” the Duke said, nodding his head to the King’s Sword.

  The King’s Sword did not reply. In the capital, the King’s Sword bow to any other noble, Duke or otherwise.

  It wasn’t long that a beautiful peared, her skin taraying the blood of those from further east from one of her ret aors. She wore a breastpte too, silver, and wore a bde at her side, which was formed of sapphicule. Her attire was a vibrant blue, like the sea on a sunny day. It was long, taking cues from the federad Aswadia. She wore several s of silver, each with a different blue gem, yered like o waves.

  “Yrace,” she said, bowing her head deeply for the King, her jewellery jingling before her hand.

  “Duchess Eastsea,” the King replied, kissing the back of her hand, as was expected of him.

  The Duchess’ eyes fshed towards the map, but didn’t find anything iing.

  Duchess Goldport had also appeared, wearing a golden armour, a thipte whily covered her breasts, and a spaulder over her left shoulder. She carried with her a rapier, also golden. Her dress was deep purple, and was mostly Aldish in design, save for the colr, which was thin and small, the Aswadian way. Her skin was also slightly tan, due to the Aswadian blood she held.

  She greeted the King in the same way, and the King replied with a kiss against the back of her hand. He was the you of the five great nobles, having bee King a little over a decade ago.

  The Duke took his pce beside the King, arms behind his back as he stared down at the map. There were small pieces, each of which represehe various troops which had bee out. There were a group off to the side, one which may have represehose sent away to the isnds.

  However, the trio had all noticed there were another set of small blocks, which had beeo the side. They were bd gold, the colours of the Bckwater family. There were already a few pieces on the board which represehe family, but they were already i their various positions across tral Aldnd.

  her of the three dared t up the matter, as there was no point.

  She would do it for them.

  “They are always te,” Duke Lio said, staring down at the map. He was staring at the north, which held the smallest number of blocks, though even Duke Lio didn’t uimate them.

  “The Duchess will be arriving soon,” the King said, firmitendanbsp;

  They all knew she was ing, each of them through their owworks. Even if they were all allied and the fact most of their history innd had been peaceful, that was no reason to allow any cracks in their own defences.

  Steps echoed through the hallway, though they sounded far too quick for them to belong to the Duchess. Passing through the archway came a young man who held the spitting image of the King.

  He had silver hair, which he had ied from his father, and dark grey eyes from his mother. He wore a breastpte, which had been engraved with the image of a dragon in a ke, the symbol of the Bckwater family. At his side was a bde, fed out of true jagite from Jaghi.

  “Yrace,” he said, bowing his head, before he greeted the Duke, Duchess Goldport, and Duchess Eastsea.

  Duchess Eastsea made note of how she had beeed st, but she accepted a kiss against her knuckles, which had been reserved for her. “You only grow more handsome day by day,” she said.

  “Your words are an honour, Duchess,” the Prince said, a charming smile on his lips. He was in a good mood, for reasons the others could only assume. He stepped up beside his father, sharing a look with him, before taking his pce beside the King’s other side.

  The Duchesses could only help but remain on their own side. The King had chosen treater ties with West Aldnd, for reasons which they could only assume. Either they were preparing to deal with the Orcs, or they were going to do something whione would dare to speak aloud.

  Then it came. Breaking though the silehe sounds of the steady, slow steps filled the hallway. There was also another set of step, steady and heavy, with a practised slowness.

  Emerging from the archway came Duchess Bow. Bck hair and dark grey eyes, typical of the Bow family. Her skin was wrinkled heavily, and she wore little jewellery, only the neckce which had been gifted to the Bow family from the Bckwater family. She did not wear armour, and carried only a e. What need did she have to wear armour and carry a bde in the capital when she had him at her side.

  The Knight of Death.

  No.

  The previous Knight of Death.

  Standing beside the Duchess was Sir Royce, who had retly retired from his duties. He wore just the breastpte of his heavy pte mail, and at is back was a giant maul, carved out of dark gem, bck as night, with specks of light which shifted about like fireflies within.

  “Yrace,” Sir Royce said, bowing his head lightly. Aher Knight would had to bow deeper, or take a knee, but he was not any other Knight.

  The Duchess scoffed. “How could you call me down south with such little notice?” she snapped, raising her hand to the King. “It better be important for you to call this old dy down hundreds of miles where it’s warm.” Stating the st word caused her to scowl deeply.

  “I offer you my deepest s, Duchess,” the King said, taking her hand and kissing it.

  “The heat is bad for my old bones,” she said, before her eyes so the Prince. “Who is this handsome young man?”

  The Priood awkwardly, unsure of how to reply to the woman even her father had to respect. She had dared to pletely ighe Duke and the other Duchesses.

  “It only be my darling Prihe Duchess stepped closer to the Prioo quickly for the King’s Sword, who almost moved, only to be stopped by the deathly aura Sir Royce was giving off.

  Sir Royce had grit his teeth, and shot the most deadly gre towards the King’s Sword, which caused him to shrivel and step back. ‘You little bastard, don’t fet who it was that allowed you to bee the King’s Sword? You think I won’t beat your ass in front of the King?’

  The King’s Sword was fairly certain what the old man was thinking. It was awkward for him. He was reted to the Duchess and had been brought down south to the capital to grow close with the King when he was a boy. The Duchess had hand picked him from a retive, so the King would grow close with a northerner, and he had cimed the title of King’s Sword with the help of the Duchess.

  He had loyalties to both the King and the Duchess, which had put him in quite the position, but he was also fairly certain that a man like Sir Royce would also dare to draw his maul if he tried to make a move.

  “Just because my nephew doesn’t e to visit me, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t e either,” the Duchess said, hooking her arm around her sister’s great grandson, and pulled him away to her side. The King stood with the Duke, Duchess Bow with the Prince, and the Duchesses together.

  “Yes, Duchess,” the Prince replied, uo say anything else to the woman.

  “Do you have yrandfather’s knack for the sword or your father’s?” she asked.

  “My father’s,” the Prince assured.

  “Good.” Her eyes so the Duke, narrowing them at her. “How could you stand beside the King so closely?”

  “I am merely trying to get a better view of the map, Duchess,” the Duke replied.

  “You aren’t so old that you o stand so close to the map. You may step away from Justinian at once.”

  Since she had dared to ihe King’s name, Duke Lio stepped away, throwing a look towards the King, but he decided against any move towards the Duchess for calling his name. He wasn’t stupid enough to deal with the old Duchess, who had been so shrewd she had mao make a northerhe King’s Sword, and the King’s Sword’s cousin into the Knight of Death.

  “You should be careful he doesn’t bee a bad influeo you,” the Duchess warhe King. “You southerners have no cept of loyalty or family bonds, not like us northerners, isn’t that right, Justinius?”

  “Yes, Duchess,” the Prince replied, awkwardly.

  Duke Lio smiled, narrowing his eyes slightly. “We are all loyal to our family, Duchess, and treat King.”

  The Duchess gred at the Duke. “No doubt you’ll say they fell to an unknown illness. Utterly ridiculous. Then you dare to try and marry your daughter to my Justinius? The audacity.”

  The Prince hadn’t expected the Duchess to dote on him so, but had heard that she always doted on her father whehey would meet, even if she was a little rude sometimes. Even when his grandfather had died so young due to stress, she had personally e down to pin, but she had made sure that the King had possessed a thousand of her soldiers to and for at least three years, some of whom had fallen with his elder brother during the war against the Elves a decade ago.

  The Duchess dared to pin in front of the King because she uood she was untouchable, but the King also khat there was no one on this nd who would e to his aid as greatly as Duchess Bow.

  “Even if he doesn’t e to visit this old e, I won’t let you worm your way into my family so easily. Dig your father out of his grave a him try, though he’ll only fail again. Still, he is, and forever will be, twice the man you ever hope to be.” The Duchess’ eyes remained hostile towards the Duke, who had only retly e into power to cim the title of Duke.

  Duke Lio could feel the heat fill through his body, but he didn’t dare to move, not in front of the King, and definitely not in front of Sir Royce. “I hadn’t expected the Duchess to have such a view of me. I apologise if I’ve given su impression.” Her bowed lightly towards her.

  The Duchess would have tio aggravate the Duke, but the tension in the air was quickly cut by the sounds of Sir Royce p in some tea for her. He offered the tea to her politely. She took the cup out of his hand and sipped the tea. Only the northerners could get away with pushing away all de, but only because their bdes were heavier than those from the rest of Aldnd.

  What need of de when they possessed the greatest warriors in all of Aldnd?

  Throughout all of the frontation, the other Duchesses remained silent. They had o make power pys against the royal family, uhe north and the west, as they held such vast sums of wealth, and always made sure the King’s coffers were filled to the brim with their gifts.

  Gold was greater than blood.

  “Since we are all ready to tinue, I will begin the meeting,” the King said, allowing them all to sit and bring out whatever foods and drinks they had brought. He wasn’t going to try and offer food or drinks to them, there was o aggravate them when he heir support.

  “I have gathered you here today to speak about the isnds which we have quered far to the south west.” Though he could have tried to cim the glory, it wasn’t in his best i. “The Aswadians have sued for peace, and we have at least a year to stabilise our hold over the isnds. I am assured we have two years, but it would be best if we quickly form the foundations on the isnds.”

  A Knight brought a rge sheet towards the table, pg it down to the left of Aswadia, though it was much further away than its pt would suggest.

  “The natives of the nd are primitive, and are uhe oppression of vicious beasts,” the King said.

  The others looked to the King, w what he was trying to do. The story he was beginning to weave wasn’t something they had expected, but their eyes returned back to the blocks to the side. They were newly made, and there were many of them, far too many.

  “We will liberate the primitive people, though I use that term lightly, for they are as much people as the gryphons which the Order of the King ride.” The King’s lips formed a patronising smile. “They are more useful to us as subjects.”

  Duchess Bow sipped her tea, before pg the cup down. “We have e all this way not for you to speak in circles. We are still family, Justinian, so do not speak like the southerners.”

  The King smiled.

  The others wondered why he smiled, but hat the Prince was smiling too.

  A Knight came, holding a rge brown stoh thick gloves. The stone was as rge as his helmet, but otherwise looked like a fairly normal stone. He brought a cork screw, which he used to form a hole within the brown stone, before he filled a cup with the brown water which came from the stoeam flowing upwards. He pulled the stone away, which sloshed with the liquid iill near full.

  “What is this muck?” Bow asked, staring down at the murky water, which looked like it was water from a puddle.

  “Please, have a taste,” the King said.

  The Duchess had lived for long enough that she didn’t give any outward indication of surprise. The others had almost slipped up, but they remained quiet aral still.

  Duchess Bow’s eyes held the King’s eyes, w how he would dare to suggest such a thing to her in front of everyone else.

  Fortunately for them all, Sir Royce was there, and he quickly picked up the cup. “Don’t mind if I do, yrace.” He sipped the drink slowly, before his eyebrows shot up in arm. The others stared at him, remaining silent. Sir Royce looked to the King, before pg the cup down.

  No one dared to make a move.

  “What is this, yrace?” Sir Royce asked.

  “This is a caout,” the King replied, simply.

  Sir Royce looked down at the drink for a long while, unsure of what he should say. He had moved quickly to try and stop anything serious from happening, but he wasn’t sure what to do.

  “If you will not say then I will have a taste,” Duchess Boed, holding up her personal cup. The Knight tried to pour her in the liquid, but Sir Royce took it from him, gring at the Knight, daring him to try and pour anything for his Duchess.

  The Duchess slowly sipped the drink, though there was a moment when she abruptly stopped, before she tio sip. Her eyes stared down at the cup, still half full of the liquid.

  It was awkward for the others to stare at her, so they too accepted the drink, which had caused the great Duchess Bow to fall speechless.

  They soon uood why. Whatever this liquid was, it was something which was indescribable to them. They, who had grown up on all the delicacies the nds offered, weren’t sure how they had lived without such a glorious drink.

  “It is grown in abundan the soil of the isnds,” the King said. “It match even the fi of teas.”

  “It is worth it’s weight in gold,” Bow said.

  The others stared at the brown storying to think about how they could make a py for it. Eastsea and Goldport were already beginning to work on the deal in their head, from the gifts whieeded to be sent, to the details of the tract which would o be signed.

  The King then o his Knights, who left with the stone, only for a a small box, each to the Duchess and the others. The King oured some tea, and he poured a teaspoon of the white powder into it, mixing it together before taking a sip.

  The others followed suit, p some of the white powder into their own tea, before taking a sip. Whatever this powder was, it amplified the fvour of the tea to degrees they had never experienced before, matg the liquid of the caout.

  “I have found the powder stimutes my mind not longer after ed, and it has increased the productivity of the Knights,” he said. “I find myself able to trate on whatever I wish with increased focus. The isnds have such a bountiful harvest of both the caout and the cao powder.”

  The King had revealed the items to the others formally because he khat such matters couldn’t be kept secret. It was best to share with the others rather than covet it all for himself.

  For a price, of course.

  Yet, he wasn’t dohese two alone could have assisted him in his dreams of glory, but there was something else which would strike the final nail in the coffin.

  A Knight brought a rge rock half the size of his torso. It was white with blue veins running through it, each about the thiess of a finger. He brought out a chisel and slowly scraped the rock towards a cup, the fine powder filling the water, before he mixed it together.

  The King’s Sword drew his bde and cut into the Knight’s hand slightly, drawing blood. The Knight sipped the water, and as the seds passed, the cut healed over.

  Duke Lio leaned in, uo tain him. “A healing potion made so simply?”

  The chaos which would be brought to the nd would be uated. This was something which was revolutionary. The rock could st for hundreds, if not thousands of potions, but each of them couldn’t help but think as to why the King would reveal the rock to them in such a manner.

  They only dared to dream.

  What if there were more rocks?

  The King smiled. “We must secure the isnds so we extract the resources before the Aswadians find out what treasures they possess. We have mao find a great number of iing resources, but we haven’t mao explore the rest of the isnds, nor even the main bodies of nd which we already trol.”

  Now they uood. The resources were great, yet, but this was something else. Even if the isnds only possessed the three resources shown, this was unbelievable. They would be able to…

  They didn’t eveo think of what they could do, because they would be able to aplish whatever they please.

  The King then picked up the blocks, revealing that they were not just bd gold. Under each piece the colours represehe different families. The deep blue of the north, the lighter blue of the east, the purple of the south, and the e of the west.

  “In order to trol the isnds, we need a greater force than we currently possess, and have ever possessed.” He pced the blocks on the sea. “A force which does not work as a city guard, or work as the guards for the nobles. A separate army, not one which is formed when called to war, made up of oners in cloth with a spear in hand.”

  “A professional standing army,” Duchess Bow said. Most of the army was usually made up of peasants, as the King had said, but the officers were usually made up of guards and Knights sworn to the various houses, or members of the various Orders.

  North Aldnd already had a small professional standing army which was used to put down various threats around the nd, and could be sent south to assist the King at a moment’s notice. The other areas also had a small military force, but seeing how many blocks the King had brought, he didn’t mean a professional army which was only a few thousand strong.

  “A greater navy is required to keep the seas safe, but a great nd army is also required.” The King pced down the blocks onto the handful of isnds which had been drawn, though there were many more isnds which hadn’t been accurately depicted. “We will create the Isnd Expeditionary Force, an army which will be tasked with bringing the isnd within rip, and a Grand Army, which will deal with all the domestic threats of Aldnd.”

  “The Tribesfolk?” Bow asked. There were a handful of Tribesfolk which they worked with up north, and no doubt iher areas of Aldnd, but there were many more who were outside of Aldnd’s trol.

  The King stared down at the map of Aldnd. “I do not wish to just create an army or two. I do not wish for just all of Aldnd to finally be quered, pleting the dreams of my forefathers. Drakkennd to the north. Aswadia to the south. Noska beyond the sea.” The King smiled. “We will bee the dominant power, and with our rule over the seas, the only power.”

  The sheer audacity of the King’s words were not lost oher great families. Here was the King who had always spoken so clearly, so highly, and he had suffered one of the greatest defeats i memory with the Elves to the south not even a decade ago.

  “The town guard will be reformed. No longer will they be expected to join the army for war, they will forever remain to protect the towns and cities, and that is all which will remain within their role’s scope.”

  The town guard had often times rallied together to assist the army whehe matter called for it. The town guard and the army were institutes which worked closely together, and something their roles blurred together.

  “Ours is a rge nd,” the King tinued. “It has been protected for tless geions by our aors, and though the names of some families ged, our families have all worked hard to maintain the peace of this nd. I hope that our families will tio work together to make sure nn powers take root in this nd.”

  The King had to be careful. Right now, his words could easily be misstrued by the two Duchesses, each of whom held the blood of the distant nds, those closer to the south a, than to the north.

  “No longer will we lords use our personal guards to form members of the army. They will remain by our sides, to assist our family from the plots and threats of others. The number of personal guards will be reduced to make way for the army. As such, I will make a formal decree allowing eaoble house to create an Order of Knights loyal to themselves, with a number of Knights sworn to them depending on their rank.”

  The Duke and Duchesses had almost raised a protest to the King, but upon hearing that they could form their own Order, they kept their tongues in check. They each had a rge number of guards, more than those of lower ranks, though they were often expected to work around the nd, not just within their own homes or beside them.

  Only the ruler of Aldnd had the ability to create an Order sworn to their family, but since he had decided that all the noble houses could form an Order, the number of Knights based on their rank, it was quite the offer.

  “Each of you will and your own armies to keep the nd safe from the threats to the nd, but there will also be a Grand Army, one which will be uhe and of a cil, with myself as the Supreme General.”

  The Duke and the Duchess listened ily to the King. So far he had revealed that he was able to moderate his own power, keeping the bance of the Five Great Families of Aldnd.

  “We will create outposts across the entire nd, and soon we will bring all of Aldnd under our heel. For too long have we given the Adventurer’s Guild too much power and influehey have grown fat from enrig themselves with what belongs to us.”

  It was true that the Adventurer’s Guild had gaioo much power. Even the nobles of the nd had difficulty dealing with the Adventurer’s Guild, who protected their own with a great ferocity.

  “What of the temples?” Duchess Bow asked. “They will not be happy now that you have access to health potions which be made without their powers. Though you have your Order, they will not accept that there will be many other Orders, with the ability to create health potions”

  “As long as the temples receive their dues, they will not mind,” the King assured. “The army which will be formed will need Priests. The cil which will trol the army will have positions for the various Priests, and the members of the Orders which have made their homes within our nds will also be expected to tribute.”

  So that was it.

  It wasn’t just that the King wao quer the entire nd, it was that he wao unify it. Though he styled himself as the Supreme General, he uood that he o pacify those with voices against giving him so much power.

  “We will create it, an army which will be ready to move at the ready, to respond to threats within days, rather than weeks, and one which be mobilised to move when it is timely for us to act.”

  The King moved the blocks over the isnds, and pced some around the map. “Once we have taken ownership of the isnds, we will have the resources to pletely subjugate this nd.” He pced some blocks over the forest to the south west, the home of the Elves, and some to their north. “After dealing with the thorns at our doorstep, with the ey of Aldnd is under our rule, we will push our influewards.” He moved the blocks towards the nds of Aswadia and Drakkennd.

  The King’s ambitions were great. It seemed that, after the loss he had faced, though he was still ambitious, he had tempered it with some wisdom. How grand of an army would this army be to be able to deal with all the threats none of his fore bearers could subjugate?

  However, with the curreh of Aldnd, it would be possible t the isnds into their domain. With the resources of the isnds, no doubt they’d be able to bank roll a rge army, one which would have rivalled the greatest armies of old.

  The King o his Knights, whht rge boxes. They k before the Duke and the Duchesses, giving them gifts they had not expected.

  The Grand Duchess sighed. It seemed she could retire in peace, knowing that the King had mao temper himself into such a great young man.

  Aldnd’s rise would soon begin.

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