Taraquin

Chapter 49

The news of Zane's lineage lights up Caine's face, even though his face is only barely lit from the soft light extending from a few burning torches near the front of the large floating vessel.

"You are heir to the Royal House of Brinon, and the rightful heir to the throne of Taraquin!" Explains Caine with whispered excitement.

"I'm not sure how being a Brinon makes me the rightful heir to the throne. I don't really get it." Counters Zane as he adjusts within his seat.

"I don't get it either." Agrees Dekker.

"Do neither of you know the history of Taraquin?" Asks Caine with a surprised look.

"Not really." Laughs Dekker.

Caine sighs with a smile as he shakes his head.

"I'll start from the beginning then. There were originally nineteen kingdoms. Thirteen of those kingdoms made up what was originally known as Taraquin Valley, which was everything west of the Taramure Mountains. Around five hundred years ago, the thirteen kings came together after hundreds of years of fighting and attempted to unite Taraquin Valley under one king. However, none of them could get along, and each of them thought that they should be the King of Taraquin. So, they all waged war on each other after concluding that the true king should be decided on the battlefield. The Brinon's, Chora's, and the Aukland's quickly conquered the other kingdoms before going after each other. The Brinon's got stuck fighting both the Chora's and the Aukland's on two fronts, but still came out victorious. After that, the twelve conquered kingdoms swore fealty to Nicanor Brinon and his line of descendants. Each of the twelve house's descendants has even had to sign the treaty before they can take their position as a duke." Explains Caine.

"So how did the Aukland's end up on the throne then?" Questions Dekker.

"Good question." Acknowledges Caine. "Zane's Great-Grandfather Craven was a man who liked simple things. He loved to travel and didn't care about money and power. He gave up the throne to his cousin Giroux Aukland. Giroux made him Duke of Brinon and even had a luxurious castle built across King's Cove for him. He rarely ever stayed at the castle his cousin had built for him though. He spent all of his time traveling the world and ended up settling in the Farook Island Nation after marrying their princess. They had a son named Draegar who came back to Taraquin and was given the title of Duke of Brinon by Giroux. However, Giroux died shortly after, and confusion set in as Draegar and Giroux's son Icarus fought over the throne. Draegar was the rightful heir by blood, but Icarus had more support from the noble houses. They almost caused civil war in Taraquin, but Draegar eventually realized that the Aukland's had amassed a lot of power and wealth. He disappeared for a while as Icarus took the throne. He supposedly purchased a large farm in Chora and went into seclusion as he focused on raising his two sons, Hagan and Charles. Then of course, Lord Hagan went on to reclaim the Brinon wealth and title, but didn't seek the throne, as he and Vasilleus were best of friends. Does that make more sense now?" Continues Caine.