CHAPTER I
The Sankin Kotai
"Long last we meet, only for me to leave hurriedly, for I could not recognize you, like the moon hidden behind the clouds." - Lady Murasaki, Heian poet
Lord Adam Bell, the Last Dragon Lord of Milton, is a very fortuitous man, the seventh son of a seventh son, he is truly thrice blessed. As an Emissary of Milton, he travelled all the other realms negotiating treaties, managing supply routes and overseeing the payment of tithes and taxes required to support the war effort. On his travels, he fell in love with a beautiful and gentle commoner from London, a sophisticated, cultured and fashionable Principality in the center of North and South. Lord Bell's family was very much opposed to the match. He is a mage after all why would he throw himself away to make such a vulgar union. A mage and a commoner? Simply not done. Better to make her a concubine or a handmaid but never a wife. A commoner wife? Unheard of. Absurd. Why would Lord Adam, mage and dragon lord, even contemplate such a thing.
His family tried everything to prevent this disastrous match. They tried reason: "She can never understand our ways. As a commoner, a person with not one drop of mage essence within her, she has no idea what mages do and the rituals required to keep proficient at this craft. As a commoner, she will age much faster than you. She has no magic to sustain her life force and it will ebb away much quicker. You would live much, much longer. If you bond with her in matrimony, you will be a widower from your middle age to your golden years. We mages only bond once in our lifetime. Are you really ready to face a lifetime of solitude for this moment of joy? For she will most certainly die much, much sooner than you. Can you really remain in love with someone who will wrinkle and age before your eyes while you yourself remain in the vigor of your prime?"
They tried guilt: "How can you do this to your brothers and our Clan, we will be disgraced. Do you NOT CARE for us? Your other brothers' and their children's chances for a good match will be ruined by this. How can you do this to the Clan and those you love? Do you truly LOVE US? For if truly you do, you will not do this to us."
They tried intimidation: "If you do this you will be a pariah, you can never return to Milton and if by some far chance you do, you can never hold your head up high amongst your people. Why bring yourself so low with this disgusting match. If you persist with this match, we will have no option but to disown you. YOU HEAR that Adam? Come Home and stop this foolishness AT ONCE!"
But Lord Adam paid them no heed. All else can hang, he would never give up his love. So, on a sunny summer morning, He married his lady love and he settled with her in Oxford then intellectual center of the south. They had a blissful marriage and begot 2 daughters, Anne and Mariah, much to the dismay and further disapproval of Lord Adam's family.
"I mean really. How can he further disgrace our Clan in this manner. There are plenty of "prevention spells" he could have used to avoid this humiliation. Half Breeds in the Clan. Commoner half breeds at that.... IN the clan. The indignity....What shame... What shame..."
His family did not care to know that Lord Adam was very happy with his choice. Yes, he was detested by his family but his wife was a goodly and dutiful wife and she made his life complete. He was a loving and patient husband and a good and kind father. His beautiful, kind and delicate younger daughter, Mariah, married the ruler of the southern Kingdom of Helstone while his smart, gentle and robust older daughter, Anne, became the wife of Queen Hannah's brother, Lord Shaw, a healing mage. Mariah settled in the Kingdom of Helstone, an agricultural and mining kingdom, where her compassionate and intelligent husband, Lord Richard Hale tended to his people and ruled in peace, prosperity and harmony. Mariah was very happy indeed to be married with someone whom she loves dearly. Helstone might not be the richest kingdom in North and South but it is the most beautiful - the new forest, the majestic mountains, the verdant fields and teeming with flora, fauna and the best gemstones in all the 7 realms. It is truly a heaven on earth. A great place to raise a family. The Lady Mariah, soon gave birth to 2 children, an elder son, Frederick, and a younger daughter, Margaret, much to the delight of her husband, Lord Richard and her parents.
For 25 years, Lord Adam shunned by his family, has stayed in Oxford with his wife never even once visiting Milton at the behest of his father who was very furious at his son's disobedience. His brothers had stopped communicating with him but, nothing could make him regret his choice. Queen Hannah knew well the value of a good emissary, and Lord Bell retained his position as the Southern Emissary of Milton. When Lord Shaw left Milton seeking to change the Healing profession who at that time was monopolized by over-charging mages who cared more for the money they are being paid than the welfare of the patients under their care; he met Lord Adam to seek his advice and counsel as the Milton Mage with the most knowledge of Southern ways. Although, Hannah did not completely agree with her younger brother's position, she knew his dissatisfaction with his profession and how it is practiced in Milton. She loved her brother; therefore, she allowed him to seek his own way and gave her blessings for his venture. Lord Adam's wife and their daughter Anne, helped Lord Shaw find a suitable place for the Healing Institute and even helped with administrative duties until the Institute could get off the ground. Lord Shaw eventually fell in love with Anne, whom everyone thought was his concubine when in fact, she was his wife having married her in a private ceremony, officiated in the old rite, attended only by Lord and Lady Adam. They kept the marriage a secret so as not to distract his sister, the Queen, who at the time had her hands full consolidating her power in the seven realms and preparing to lead the fight against the Darkness. After seven years of marriage, Lady Shaw gave birth to a beautiful baby daughter, Edith. Soon thereafter, Lady Adam Bell grew suddenly and terribly ill and soon died. After 25 years of marriage, Lord Adam Bell was widowed and inconsolable. He did not even notice that the Dark Wars are at their height and raging at full volume. The sisters decided that their father should remove to Helstone to live with Lady Mariah. Although, it is normally the older sister's duty to care for a parent, Lady Shaw was in no position to do so, with her husband recently recalled by the Queen to help with the war effort and with a young child to care for, she felt she could not also care for her grieving father when she herself is silently grieving and worrying about her deployed husband. And so it was, Lord Bell and his dragon, Maisie removed from Oxford and settled in Helstone in the loving cared of his daughter, Mariah and his grandchildren, Frederick and Margaret.
In London (North of Helstone), Lord and Lady Shaw lived in comfort and peace with little to vex or trouble them. Lord Shaw, had always been ostracized by his people as the "black sheep." A righteous and dutiful mage, he felt that mage power, specially healing powers, is a gift that should be shared to all, not just mages and commoners who could afford it. As such, he used all his private income to build a Healing Institute to develop healing advancements and technologies that will allow delivery of affordable medicines to all the 7 realms. His Institute even established a training program for common doctors to learn basic medicine and business skills to establish medical practices and clinics. He was very successful indeed. Most of the medicinal advancements and new healing technologies he designed could be used by any common doctor with proper training - no mage power required - only pure applications of the natural sciences. He was a prolific inventor with over 1,000 patents in his name and a growing pharmaceutical empire under his management. He had become very rich indeed and had afforded his wife and his young daughter, Edith, all the luxuries they could need. He was content and happy to dote and spoil his wife and daughter.
All his felicity came to an end when his sister, Queen Hannah summoned him home to Milton to supervise the medical brigade (a mixed unit of mages and commoners) in preparation for the Last Stand. Bound by duty, he left his young wife and very young child in London while he returned to Milton to serve in the war effort. On this Last Stand, Lord Shaw and the rest of Milton led by the Queen and the Crown Prince; gave their full measure to the fight.
The Army of the Light led by Hannah's noble warrior son, Prince John Thornton. (Lord Thornton to the others, who as the heir and first-born son bears his Clan Name.) At only 21 years old, he was already an experienced warrior and able general. Lord Thornton's brilliant war stratagem fooled the dark into concentrating all their attack into Milton. When the Dark attacked, Lord Thornton used his troops to slowly lure the enemy into the center of a "camouflaged sink hole" and maneuvered his cavalry and foot soldiers to flanking positions to prevent escape or retreat by the enemy. When the enemy were properly "maneuvered" into the area. Lord Thornton, used his dragon infused mage power to cast a "consignment and sealing spell" to release the sink hole, sending the dark force into the deep and sealing them there to prevent their return. The forces of the Light were victorious but the victory came at a great cost. The Dark, as a last effort, lashed out and cursed all of Milton with the taint of darkness which devastated all within the Milton Wall. The dragons, creatures of the light, died, instantly. All Mages and Commoners in Milton became barren. The land stopped yielding fruit. All the animals and crops died. Nothing grew and no one begot.
Queen Hannah was spared from the taint as she and her dragon, Horace, were outside of Milton, fortifying the barrier wall which as it turned out, by a very lucky happenstance, prevented the spread of the dark taint to other realms; but, it also had the unintended consequence of confining all those tainted by the dark to within this wall that surrounded the whole of Milton - from the land boundaries to the Milton's territorial seas, 12 nautical miles from land. As a result, Hannah became the only Milton Mage untouched by darkness and left to rule a dying Kingdom. Ever so determined, she was not about to give up hope for her people and all others trapped within the Milton Wall. Many in despair and in hunger tried to escape via the sea route when the land route proved fatal but to no avail. Queen Hannah was very thorough with her wall that she has called, "a ring of steel" to shut in the dark force. It did indeed encircle all of Milton including the sea front where the Dark Force landed and started their final attack. She had in fact, just completed building the sea wall to cut off the escape of the Dark, and began fortifying her "ring of steel" when the curse was released.
Undaunted at the great task ahead of her, she enlisted her brother, Shaw, to come up with a cure to lift the curse. Thinking of her people, she in consultation with her son, devised a system to support Milton during this time of sorrow and suffering. To ensure that none of the other realms, would rise up against her and Milton, her son, Lord Thornton devised the Sankin-Kotai, a system for controlling the other 6 rulers of the North and South. This "visiting cycle" compelled the other rulers to bring their entire immediate family and household to Milton every 3rd year to "be presented in front of the Royal High Court", give tithes, host balls and be the "Queen's Guests" for the year. It also forced the visiting lieges to give up selected daughters and other young ladies in their retinue, to any mage lord who "blessed them" to be the mage lords' handmaid or concubine but never a wife, as they are but common ladies, not fit to be a mage's wife.
Most of the other rulers resented this practice and have sought reprieve but little relief was found. Immunity from "these blessings" came at great cost and even if an "immunity contract" is challenged and tried by the Milton Court (who had jurisdictional authority), the verdict always favors the mage. The only "immunity contracts" that have held up are "the blood pacts" but they are so rare and so expensive, hardly anyone could afford them. Most "visitors" just hide their women in their private chambers all year to prevent such "a blessing." In fact, only two "immunity blood pacts" existed, one for Edith Shaw and the other for Margaret Hale, Lord Bell, Lord Adam's new title as the clan bearer with the death of his father, 6 brothers and all other male issues, negotiated these concessions for his granddaughters from Queen Hannah (herself). Upon consultation with his daughters and son-in-laws, Lord Bell made the following concessions: 1. Payment of double tithes from Helstone, 2. Selling of shares from the Healing Institute Firm to the Queen's personal treasury and one-third of the profits from the sales of medicinal products and technology patented by Lord Shaw, 3. The immediate aid of Lord Bell and His dragon, Maisie, to defend Milton if asked by the ruler of Milton and 4. The removal of Lady Shaw and young Edith from London to move to Milton which Lady Shaw, though loves her husband, is very much reluctant to do, citing her health and her daughter's health as the issue. Lord Bell after much deliberation with Lady Anne Shaw convinced his daughter to leave London and move to Milton with her daughter, Edith, to take their proper place besides her husband, Lord Shaw, who missed his wife and child dearly. In exchange, the Queen promised Lady Edith Shaw and Lady Margaret Hale "perpetual immunity" from the "blessings" and gave them the freedom to choose their husbands when the time for the matrimonial bond comes to pass. Lord Bell also insisted that the Blood Pact be signed jointly by mage and dragon blood making the blood pact incontrovertible and binding.
The blood pact did much to ease Lord Bell's mind. He worried for his gentle daughter, Anne, being exposed to such coarse and harsh society but at least; he knew that Lord Shaw loved his wife and will keep her and his granddaughter safe. He has done all he can to protect his kin and can only pray that his granddaughters will grow up to be women of courage, grace, intellect and virtue. Hopefully, one day in the future, they would find their true love, like he did and live happily all their life long. Lord Bell had hoped to get a further concession to exempt Lord Richard Hale, King of Helstone from the Sankin Kotai. But, on that, Hannah was much determined. He even approached Lord Thornton to speak on his behalf but was flatly rejected as well. Resigned, Lord Bell prepared his family's keep in Milton to welcome his southern family. If his family must live in Milton, they will not live in one of Queen Hannah's palaces where they would have no privacy and would be subjected to all the tittle-tattle of Milton. If his children and grandchildren must remove to Milton every 3rd year. They will have comfort and peace. Crampton Crescent, his ancestral home is quite big enough to accommodate his family and their retinue. A very private man, Lord Adam Bell hated these "visiting cycles." Going to functions and entertaining these bloody mages are not his cup of tea. He hates the Sankin Kotai!
In ten years, the Sankin Kotai became part of life in the seven realms. At the beginning of each summer, one ruler from the North and one from the South would make the journey and stay in Milton until the end of the spring at either one of the royal palaces (for a fee) or other lodgings of their own arrangements. Each ruler are expected to host four gala events during the year with full entertainment to give all the Milton mages a taste of the world outside the wall. The expenses for these "visit year" are very high indeed. The liege lords could barely afford the Sankin Kotai and most definitely, could not afford to fund a rebellion against the Thorntons. Everyone outside the walls felt keenly the loss that Milton suffered to keep the North and South safe and secure. They are grateful for all that Milton has done but some in the South resent these visits as they know it is a form of control and a huge drain on their treasury. Their Southern Sensibilities are also offended to look at so much destruction, perpetual gray skies and unending soot and smoke. "Very depressing really," these Southeners reason, "for everywhere you look there is misery, starvation, coarseness, unhappiness and pain. This is not good for the health. Surely it could be done away with. These Miltonians with their hard stare, stuffy demeanor and stiff upper lip; never seem to smile at all. Very unreasonable. What harsh and rough people to subject our womenfolk to." Queen Hannah and Lord Thornton did not care what these southern softies felt. The Sankin Kotai would stay, for it enabled Milton to survive and maintained peace over all the lands.
This year is Helstone's visit year. Lord Richard accompanied by his ailing wife, his children, his father-in-law, Lord Bell (with his dragon, Maisie) and a retinue of 80 civil officials and servants led by Dixon, the chief steward proceeded forth in comfortable caravans to Milton. They will enter the barrier wall within the hour and upon registering and paying their tithes and taxes, would proceed to Crampton Crescent, Lord Bell's family estate and keep to stay for their visit year.
As they neared the ring of steel, Lord Bell looked out the carriage window, a sorrowful expression on his face and made a long, drawn out sigh. Starting to feel fidgety; he started tapping on the window ledge.
"Are you well, grandfather?" Margaret asked, sensing her grandfather's unease, reached out to clasp her grandfather's hand stopping his tapping movements.
"I am well, child. I just hate seeing Milton brought so low. I hardly recognize the land of my birth." Lord Bell replied giving his granddaughter an affectionate peck on the cheek.
"Don't worry grandfather, all will be as it should. Milton shall recover from the curse and rise again. Uncle Shaw will come up with the cure. I am sure. Edith has been writing about his latest experiments. I am sure he will break the curse soon. Uncle Shaw is the smartest man we all know. Don't you fret." Lord Bell just nodded at his Granddaughter's comment and continued looking out the window.
"It is quite impressive, isn't it, grandfather?" Frederick remarked sitting opposite his grandfather and sister. "This wall... This ring of steel, it seems to reach up to the sky, a shimmering curtain of pure power, seen from miles around. Queen Hannah must be the greatest mage of her generation to be able to cast such a powerful spell."
"Well, there is a reason, she is called "The Old Dragon," and they are not just talking about her looks." Lord Bell said with a grin that seemed to remove the worry and sorrow in his eyes. How painful it must me to see your once beautiful nation reduced to soot and smoke. He could never stay the whole year, it is too painful for him. He bought some land near Milton's borders and built for himself and his dragon, a comfortable manor. Lord Bell and Maisie would usually fly there after a week at the Keep and stay away for a fortnight or until he is recalled back to Milton for a family obligation. He is usually the first to leave at the end of Helstone's visit year, meeting his family at his mansion for lunch prior to heading back to Helstone. Milton has changed much. Too serious, too concerned with battling for survival and financial advancement, that no one seems to have enough time to enjoy some of life's pleasures. He feels guilty too that he was not there at the last stand, with his father and brothers. Whenever he is at the keep, their pictures on the wall seems to stare at him in silent accusation of his abandonment of his clan to pursue southern idleness. His granddaughter's voice, broke through his reverie. So, he turned his head to face her and with a hint of a smile on his face.
"Be kind, grandfather. Without her and Lord Thornton, we would all be suffering the fate that Milton gladly bore for our sakes." Margaret enjoined. Lord Bell sighed. How he loved his granddaughter, so beautiful, so smart, always righteous and never afraid to stand up for the less fortunate. Does this precious pearl even realize that she is defending the most powerful woman and most influential man in the seven realms? How they would mock her pity and throw her in the dungeon for her patronizing comment.
With a genuine smile he touched his granddaughter's hand, kissed it and replied: "My most precious pearl, you are my conscience and my true north, I know you will always do what's right for Helstone." After a pause he continued, "Well, children. It looks like we are nearly by the wall. I will leave you now and join Maisie. So, I can arrive into Milton astride my flying dragon as demanded of a true dragon lord of my clan." With that, he tapped the roof and asked the coachman to stop so he may disembark and join his dragon walking towards him on the side of the road. Lord Bell after disembarking, gave his grandchildren one last wink and a smile before summoning his staff, and with one tap on the ground, he disappeared and within a blink of an eye, he was aloft his dragon, picking up speed, flying into Milton.