The city of Ublin had a proud history, it had once been the largest industrial city in the Unified Duchies, and it remained the largest in the Western Duchies for many years. During the Lekaset Outbreaks of 2006 the city was a bastion for those displaced by the plague, it was this reputation that would lead to its eventual demise.
February 12th, 2014
We thought this nightmare was over the last time the plague hit. Especially after what they did in Lapsos, but day in and day out more and more confirmed cases, everywhere from Okan in the north to Relaker in the south, Selanri in the west to Walitiz in the east. Everywhere you look, hundreds upon hundreds of confirmed cases.
The government is focusing all their efforts on the Duchy of Alzok, too concerned for their own safety to risk the heartland. It's a good thing we have th---
"What ya writing there?" A voice questioned.
"My memoirs clearly, I call it, Lily Von Kerzagt: A diary" Lily replied sarcastically.
"Anyway, what are you doing Sam? No sneak peeks until I'm done, not even for family" She continued.
"I actually came to get you, the Duke's here and you know how mother is, she wants the family to present a united front for... some reason" Sam informed her.
"Because she's wildly in love with the mans' power, not that he has all too much of that anymore" Lily responded while walking out of the room.
The Von Kerzagt Manor was a large and sprawling building located on the outskirts of Ublin, it stood as a testament to the power behind the once proud family, and also as a stark reminder of how much they'd lost to the Phoenix Risings.
"D'ya reckon he's got anything interesting to say?" Sam asked.
Lily looked at her younger brother with amusement in her eyes.
"You think the Duke could ever have anything interesting to say?" Lily laughed.
Sam simply shrugged.
"Even the most boring of books can have an interesting line somewhere" he noted.
"Except this book consists of one line, boring" she retorted.
"And I find that very interesting" Sam replied with a mock tone of seriousness.
They both walked into the Grand Hall laughing, the mood of the moment was swiftly put down by a glare from their mother, Edna Von Kerzagt, an aging lady still formidable in her golden years.
"You two are late" She remarked sternly
"Late, or just working at a different rate of time?" Sam asked.
"That, doesn't, Sam..." Lily stringed together.
"Lily, dear, its been so long" Remarked a voice from behind Edna.
Lily positioned herself better so as to see who had said those words, she already had a hunch of course, but she had to confirm her suspicions for herself. Behind her mother she saw a man only ever seen on propaganda posters or informational broadcasts, The Duke of Akelade. He was a tall man, aging, much like Edna, but far less formidable, there was almost a paternal warmth behind his eyes, as if he always wanted you to succeed, of course, that's how he became the face of army recruitment campaigns. Very few people knew his real name, even the Von Kerzagts were kept in the dark on that front, but it became tradition within their household to refer to him as Kitchen, not because he could cook, but because of the uncanny resemblance to Lord Kitchener.
"It's been two weeks!" Lily remarked.
"Exactly, far too long for me to not have dropped in" He replied warmly.
"I actually brought something with me you might like" He added before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small notepad.
"You are still into your politics I hope?" The Duke asked.
"I am, yes" Lily replied cautiously.
"Excellent!" The Duke boomed.
He stepped towards Lily and handed her the notepad, skimming through it quickly Lily noticed a page that caught her eye, it was titled Lapsos, before she had a chance to read the page the Duke had continued talking.
"I was hoping we might talk later, privately. There are some matters I wish to discuss that could do with the guidance of a bright, young person such as yourself" The Duke enquired.
"Of course" Lily replied with muted interest, her mind was still racing with the implications of that page in the notepad. She made a mental note to read it as soon as possible.
The Duke nodded, smiled and returned to his conversation with Edna. Lily turned to Sam only to find him missing, it only took her a second to figure out where he'd gone. She sighed and began walking towards the kitchens, Sam had always been the chef of the family, he got it from their father, Lily could never understand where he got his ideas from, but she had to admit that most of the time they were pretty ingenious, even if they only worked half of the time.
She smiled and exchanged pleasantries with all the staff as she strolled along the halls, while the rest of her family shunned them, she found them to be great confidantes, the staff always knew what was happening beyond the imposing walls of the manor, they were like her own network of spies working around the clock.
She arrived at the kitchens to find Sam cutting potatoes into random shapes, so far she observed, he had a forest of little potato trees lined across the counter.
"What you up to there?" She questioned.
"Well, you see, since we have no trees in the gardens, I figured, why not make a forest in the kitchen?" Sam reasoned.
"Perhaps because the kitchens aren't big enough for a forest?" Lily replied with amusement lacing her voice.
Sam stopped cutting for a second.
"But what if, we just, moved the ceiling elsewhere?" Sam wondered aloud.
"Then you'd find a lot of rain in your food from now on" Lily reasoned.
"Sustainability Lily, it's the new big thing!" Sam joked.
"You want some help with your... forest building?" Lily asked.
"Sure, the more the merrier" Sam responded.
Sam and Lily spent the next two hours slicing through potatoes until they had a vast starchy forest that covered the entire counter. Lily decided it was best for her to go see if the Duke was ready to talk to her, she wished Sam luck in his foresting endeavours and wandered back to the Grand Hall. There she found the Duke waiting for her.
"Ah, Lily, perfect timing!" The Duke remarked.
"I've been known to appear at opportune times" Lily noted absently.
"I was hoping I could wrack your brain about, well, I'm sure you know about the Lekaset outbreaks" The Duke said uncomfortably.
"You could say I'm well read on the subject" Lily confirmed.
"Are you aware of the extent of the outbreak?" The Duke asked quietly.
Lily simply shook her head.
"There are no definite numbers, but we're looking at over six thousand reported cases in the Duchy of Akelade alone" The Duke informed her.
"I'm guessing it's not easy maintaining order with the Royal Army being used to fortify the Heartlands" Lily observed.
"Right you are, the Akelade Division is spread thin as it is maintaining order down south, nevermind having to hunt down those infected with the Lekaset Plague. We've also received reports that this outbreak is different, the infected are vastly more violent than before, causing chaos in cities across the Duchies" The Duke noted solemnly.
"I was hoping you'd come with me back to Akelader to help me organise the Duchy's plans to combat the outbreak, you've spent plenty of time researching the workings of the country's bureacracy and of the effects of the Lekaset Plague, we could really use you" The Duke implored.
Lily was stunned, she knew what she had to do though, after the last outbreak, she knew she was one of the only people who could stop a repeat of history. She extended her hand for the Duke to shake, which he did so vigorously.
"Welcome aboard, Lily. You'll make a fine addition to the court."
