Steeds of Hell

Father & Sons-Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Father & Sons

The halls of Balon's keep echoed with the clanking of Sir Lawrence's sheathed sword and the hard bottoms of his boots that beat the red and black tile. Walking alone, he clung to his sword's handle tightly with the head of a golden viper pommel sticking out of that fist, hissing with its golden fangs shining in the faintly sun-lit hall. It was the Weston viper that Lawrence also wore on the back of his leather garment, though not alive, it was an accurate representation of the venomous bite of house Weston.

The stony halls lead to a blood red door, two guards stood as still as statues on each side. Their swords unsheathed, they both stood silent, with their shining gold and chrome armor. Lawrence paid them no attention and entered the room, the door cracked and screeched as it opened slowly. While the heavy door shut behind him, he scanned the hazy room, his gaze settled upon the men at the table and then his boots began to beat the tile again.

He approached the table that housed his brother, Prince Emit Weston, and the proud smile that spread about his face. Ramen Dance, the traveler from the southwest and Lord of the Guardian, he sat beside Prince Emit. Lord Ramen brought a gloomy presence to the room with his pale face and sad, dead, watered down blue eyes that lurked in the dark shadow he sat in. Across the table from him sat Borin Celwin, Lord of Gillhold, he sat uncomfortably in the chair, he was so large he made everything in the room seem small, especially the chair he sat in. At the very edge, facing all of them, sat King Elis Weston, his lazy eyes watched Sir Lawrence sternly as he approached the redwood table. Lawrence sat in the empty seat between Lord Borin and the king. The wood of the chair screeched against tiles as he scooted closer to King Elis. The king reached and grabbed a grape from the table and tossed it into his mouth. He kept his grey eyes locked on Sir Lawrence while he chewed and tapped at the wooden armrest of the chair, with his pale and whiskered face. Besides his grace tapping on the table, the room stayed silent, and the stare between the two became awkward. The king's fingers cast a small echo in the partially empty room.

Then the red door screeched again and Brandon entered. Brandon sat at the table next to Lord Ramen Dance, it was only then that King Elis looked away from Lawrence and brought his attention to Brandon's lousy presence.

"You're late." The king barked with his voice stiff and loud, his face draped in disappointment. Then the room scarcely echoed with Brandon's soft voice, "Your gr-grace, I must s-s-state my apologies." He stuttered. Lawrence watched the short and fat man and a very faint smile appeared on his face. But the stench of wine filled the room shortly after he entered, which made Lawrence a bit upset, "I wonder what my father has to say about the fucking drunk." he thought, just before the room echoed again.

"This behavior is fit for a drunk! Not my own son!" Brandon bowed his head in shame. The king looked at Lawrence again, Sir Lawrence looked back at him and took a deep breath. 

"Lawrence, you're late!"

"You have my apologies as well, Father" Lawrence bowed his head also, but in a fake and hardhearted manner.

The king brought his gaze to the rest of the men at the table and made the room echo again

"What do we have of the Alard boy?"

"Verioth, the flaming stallion of Deaths Cave, remains in their captivity," the voice of Brandon began to fill up the council chambers with a soft echo "He has formed an alliance with house Dane as the Alards always do..." King Elis cut him off with his grumpy and firm voice "I only desire being counseled on matters which I've already hadn't."

"My apologies," Brandon muttered

"It is your obligation to fix your mistake by doing what your king has asked, not by apologizing." The proud voice of Emit softly echoed, Sir Lawrence looked at his brother's bright face. Emit sat with a slight smirk on his face that displayed a peak of his white teeth, his blue eyes burned in the dark room as the sun kissed his face. He was the only one that sat with the slightest look of happiness, Lawrence was a bit curious to what his older brother always smirked and smiled about, he never asked about it, he knew it was just a mask that covered the darkness that dwelled deep within. After looking at everyone's faces, Sir Lawrence noticed the miserable look that his own face took. The tips of his eyebrows arched upward, toward his hair. His blue eyes were washed and watered down, they were dim and gloomy, unlike the proud Weston whose stayed alive with a glow.

The face of the king was disappointment, as always when he looked at his sons.

Lord Borin's fat face stayed plain and still, like the white stone that walled the room. Lord Ramen, with his sad and milky eyes that kept a deep position in his wrinkly face, continued to bring sadness.

Only terror remained on Brandon's face, as he began to speak again, while looking at his king for a second, then everything else in the room.

"He now marches north with twenty thousand men to destroy the Biden's men and perhaps he'll continue marching north until he seals a victory by taking Wendells keep."

The king stared at Brandon with his grey eyes, Lawrence noticed his grace couldn't bare the sight of the drunk who sat in the room "You are done for this meeting." Brandon was in a rush to stand and obey, before he turned around the king began to speak again, "If you take it upon yourself to attend another one of my consultations with the stench of wine you will hang on the city gates, go!"

"Yes, your grace. This meeting was so spur of the moment I didn't...." Brandon muttered until the king cut him off for the last time " I said go." Elis said through his tightly clenched jaw

"What a fool that one is," Emit said, then he looked into the grey eyes of his father.

"While the Alard boy is distracted in the north I want you, Lord Borin, to send a legion of twenty thousand men to Spirits Eye with your best commander, I want them funneled into the Ellen Woods of the South plains," he looked at Sir Lawrence "They will go to the Look and side with Lord Nevvel, I want you, Lawrence, to reach the Look first. Tell them they will be rewarded handsomely if they take King Bryce out before he marches to the east side of the continent. that wont end this a war but it'll certainly weaken them, I'll give you five hundred men for your own protection." He explained and ordered, then his son, Emit interrupted. "What will you have of me? Father. Surely I can't just stay in the capital. That'll be outright sad." King Elis clenched his jaw again and slowly turned to his eldest, "patience, I was just getting to that part, you idiot." Emit sat back in his chair and the happiness fell from his face, he took a deep breath and sighed. "You, Emit, will lead a royal force of fifty thousand to the Ellen woods. I want you camped on the border of the Rockylands and the South plains, there you will take camp and you will be ready for the Alard men."

The window behind him shined a beam on the back of his head, which made his hair glow. "Lord Dance, you will hold court in the ruins of the Southernkeep, send twenty thousand men to camp at the Snail, that is the route he'll take to enter the east planes. See to it be done as QUICKLY as possible, we don't have all year." He sat back and then tossed another grape into his mouth. "Any questions?" the king said over his chewing, the room stayed silent. "Good." The stiff voice's echo filled the room, and then the two lords took their leave while the two princes still sat in silence.

"I want you two gone by tonight. You, Emit will leave with five hundred brave and I'll send the rest once you reach Ellenwoods."

"But father, I can't just leave my city following the night of my knowing." Prince Emit tried to argue. Lawrence agreed with his older brother, but wouldn't dare speak against his fathers command

"Why cant you?" the king asked, Emit stayed quiet when he heard the rage in his fathers voice.

"Do you have to bid farewell to the whores? Huh? You are my son and you ought to do what is commanded when and how I want." The kings voice echoed and roared

"You leave tonight, I don't care if today was your wedding."

Emit screeched the chair on the floor as hestood up, anger filled him and he stormed out of the room, stomping at everystep. Sir Lawrence looked at his father while his grace watched Emit leave theroom; disappointment took his grace's face. Then Lawrence followed, but slowlyand careful not to show his anger. He placed his hand on the door nob and stoodstill, "Why leave tonight?" He thought. He opened the door to bring the room itslast echo, the door screeched and he left his father alone