Theurgy: Forsaken Oaths (Book Two)

Chapter 65 Weapons of Man

      The people cheered in open welcome.

      Many words have made their way from the Wild Halls back down to the common folk of the empire of the dealings and the many extravagant and shocking events that had been. In fact, the name of the enemy who sieged the capital of Silondras was a close second to the drama. A Paladin of Nychta, now turned traitor, outed as one of these new supernatural enemies of this dark order. And the princess of Liontar defends her mother's honor in a formal duel and wins. And finally, the revelation of James' former dealings, crowns give her direct authority in dealing with this Talon by any means necessary to continue their work, now with the power of the empire if need be.

     But that was not all the news. In the north, Prince Edlund had not only proven his worth as a knight on the battlefield but also stranded, cut off from any sort of aid from the Paladin Aurelion, and enduring a grueling four-week-long siege hounded by the Zethan hoard of the Boreans, not backing down to protect a new ally in the form of the Morenians. Aurelius plans to advance upon their ancient home and retake it in the name of the Morenians and the Empire. And then, there was Lyse. What was meant to be an ordinary ambassador mission to reestablish a connection with a nearly forgotten trade port turned into quite a bizarre scenario for the Prince. Single-handedly dismantling a smuggling operation and even unearthing yet another of these foes, these gods as they were called, and have even met one of the enigmatic princes of Shi'Ased. In their short tenor as royalty, they have indeed not wasted any effort in proving themselves worthy in succeeding the late name of James Colton and his royal line. And so, on this day that she returns, as there was much interest in speaking directly to the Queen and her daughter, equally so the appearance of the two princes was heavily anticipated as well. As crowds huddled at the entrance to Grimwald, where her carriage deposited Queen Celia, Princess Massia, and their Paladin Novia Sca'tio. They, too, were followed closely by Queen Lizbeth of Hath and the Grandmaster. The more enigmatic few among the noble courts were also hoping to find the Black Hand here, but of course, the elusive servant of the royal courts was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Paladin Lupren awaited their arrival with nearly a hundred sentinels on standby, the black-clad warriors almost seeming eager behind their still metal faces and statue-like posture.

      Lupren smiled warmly with both arms extended. "Welcome home, Queen Celia Opal. I am grateful that you returned to us safely, achieving your visions. As you can see, news of your dealings has already made its way to Silondras."

     "I can see," Queen hid the grimace in her mind as the roaring of cheering grew more raucous at her appearance. "This is not an occasion to celebrate, not yet. They should wait until we do something actually substantial."

     "Well, we have just outed a spy from one of the royal court's mother," Massia noted to her. "Perhaps it is time for a little celebration and relaxation."

     The look in her mother's eye did not bode well for any respite for the princess anytime soon. "As I was saying, We have much to discuss in the Sactum proper, with this no member of Theurgy that my son has gathered, and how we plan further. We need to assure our allies in this coming war."

     "And speaking of allies," Remmus pointed his sky towards the sky, and sure enough, in the far distance, one could faintly make out specks traveling rapidly across the clear blue skies. Three, in fact. And they were approaching rapidly. The crowd grew silent as the figures became more and more apparent. Two men riding upon white horses with broad wings allowed them to soar from the air, the elusive unicorns bred only on Valoria, unmistakenly marking both of them as Prince Lyse and Prince Edlund. Their platinum armor sparkled in the afternoon sun like they were surrounded by stars, though Edulnd's clearly had been marked by damage. It had taken him hours to fish his armor from the dragon that devoured him. His flaming form metal all the straps and connective plating, but the enchanted platinum was more than resilient; it only took Gray a day to attune new belts so that it was wearable again, though the scorch stains would be needed to be attended to later. Still, just like his brother, he looked the epitome of knighthood as he dismounted his pegasus and joined Lyse in reuniting with their family, even smiling and waving at the crowd as he passed them by. Lyse, by contrast, was far more reserved, giving the barest of acknowledgment to the fact that thousands of people have assembled to see their arrival. This silent endurance also spoke to his own character in its own way, but he did smile small at his sister and mother as they approached and hugged each other.