7 Fayendrias II

The smells of smoke and fire from the blacksmiths and the singing of wooden swords smashing during the training in the yards outside of the barracks pleased Fayendrias. He'd been preparing for Eries's arrival for quite some time now, he'd overheard the troops themselves making remarks of the King in the West, the titles they decided to give him were juvenile and crude. Names such as "Eries the Fairy, The King of Nothing," and other such droll titles were used often in the barracks. Fayendrias himself had allowed these nicknames to go both ignored and unpunished, all except one of course.

"The Bastard King," this was the South's attempt at discrediting Eries's right to rule, Fayendrias found the man who'd made the remark and had him whipped with a scourge in front of all the soldiers, that put an end to the nasty rumour rather well. Damned craven, Llyond thought to himself, he seeks to gain the Throne for himself, and what better way to do that then accuse his brother as being a monstrosity born of lust and sin?

That wasn't to say that we was at a loss as to what to do, he could just as easily play the game that they wished to play, even better in fact. He had many options at his disposal, but with varying levels of consequences, declare them as magic-using heretics and that they're only trying to save their skins, but that would harm what reputation the North had with the three other realms even more. He could meet with the leaders of the realms to come to an understanding, but Fayendrias couldn't be too sure if they would set a trap or not. He could apply the proper amount of political pressure to silence the opposition, although he'd have to be doubly careful about it, this was something he'd need to discuss with Eries once he arrived.

As he leaned against the gate where the training happened, he couldn't help but long for the life of a soldier, the life he'd once had, one that seemed like a lifetime ago, and yet a minute ago at the same time. . . He longed to only have to worry about what his superiors ordered him to do rather being the superior. Yet he eventually retrieved his senses, he knew he much preferred the life of a cunning strategist rather than that of a base brute.

The troops who were training wore an extensive amount of armour and clothing, something that was quite necessary due to the North's weather consisting mostly of the traits of the cold winter nights, and those were the better days. Many a man had died out of being ill equipped for such terrible and unrelenting weather, Fayendrias enjoyed it, however. If a man could keep his wits about him in the cold of the North, he could keep it just about anywhere else.

"Sir." A soldier said saluting him, seemingly out of breath from running. "King Eries is here to see you."

"Bring him to me." Fayendrias said.

"As it pleases you, my lord."

After a short while, the soldier returned with King Eries in tow, King Eries seemed pleased to be in the North, which was more than could be said for the other two realms. Every step the young king took demanded authority and respect, something that Fayendrias himself respected, although he dare not say it aloud. "Leave us," Fayendrias said to the soldier, "go back to your training."

"Yes sir," he responded obediently.

"You know Eries," Fayendrias said, turning to the King and motioning towards the training grounds."I know the dance all too well."

"Dance?" Asked Eries in confusion.

"Yes, dance. The only dance worth learning. The dance of death. I used to serve as a soldier, and from it, I know the moves to this dance by heart. Backslash, a parry followed by a sidestep which leads into diagonal downward slice. You do understand, yes?" Fayendrias asked him with a courteous smile.

"Yes, now I do." He said with an expression that seemed to indicate the direct opposite. "You summoned me here, why?"

"So blunt, so to the point. I like that." He said, feigning the smile. "I summoned you here for a particular reason, to discuss how you'd wish to play the game."

"The game?"

Gods, does this whelp know nothing?, Fayendrias thought to himself.

"Yes, the game. Much like the dance, it's the only of its kind that's worth knowing. The game of life and death. The game in which we all risk our lives on a daily basis."

"Politics, you mean to say?"

Put in the words of a base brute, perhaps.

"Yes, politics." He said, continuing his feigned smile. "I've been meaning to ask you of a few particular topics of interest, for starters, what do you think of those who deal in magic?"

"Put bluntly?"

"Preferably, yes."

"I believe they should be razed to the ground, and that they should we wiped from the earth so that we may start anew without their taint."

What he lacks in intellect or cunning, he sure makes up for with ferocity, he may have potential yet.

"I see." He said, feigning uninterest. "What about your brother, Mathian? There have been rumours of you being the result of a night of lust and sin between your father and some whore, put simply, a bastard."

"All lies. Mathian has always been jealous of my claim to the throne, ever since he came out of my mother's womb, and he seeks to discredit me at every turn." Eries said angrily.

"I see." Fayendrias said, stroking his stubble. "We'll have to put an end to that, I'm sure."

Eries nodded in silence.

"I suppose that tells me all I need to know, Eries, the King of the West, would you care to forge an alliance between our kingdoms? It seems that our goals are quite mutual, and we may be able to accomplish in numbers what we cannot alone." Fayendrias said with a smile while holding his hand out.

"Gladly." Eries said clasping his hands with Fayendrias's and shaking.

"Now, do you plan on staying here or heading back home posthaste?" Fayendrias asked.

"That would all depend on what you have planned." Eries said with a grin.

"Well, if you would like, I could show you to my Royal Advisor, Jaime Haimon, and he can escort you to your accommodations."

"I would very much like that."

"Very well." Fayendrias signalled a soldier to come over and escort Eries to Jaime, to which the soldier, although not before giving a "yes, sir," and a "as it pleases you, sir!" Although this was not to his harm, it was good to prove to Eries that his troops had the proper respect for their Military Commander as well as their King, before they left, he'd told Eries that he'd some matters to attend to, and that he would see him personally later in the day.

He had many matters to attend to, that much was true, he had to oversee the proper distribution of weapons and armour to the soldiers who were to go on skirmishes, taking out small forces of rebel mages, Elves of Armeria and other such annoyances. The Elves were easy to fight, they originated from one source, the forests. So if needed, they could easily send a host of troops there and wipe them out in one fell swoop. Mages on the other hand, were in almost every kingdom, possibly even the North. It would be impossible to wipe them out entirely. The quill and the pen can topple entire empires, those were the words that Fayendrias lived by. Why kill an enemy and gain others when you can get rid of them and keep your hands clean?

If only that were something I could teach my dear young Eries.

Fayendrias began by summoning his personal squire, Arnott Reynaud. Reynaud was a boy of but sixteen, but had grown to gain favour with Fayendrias rather quick, the boy proved a level of cunning that even some of his own Royal Advisors could only wish to possess. Fayendrias had half a notion to make him such an Advisor once he was of age, although he knew better then to let his personal relations with the boy cloud his judgement, thus he must face it in an objective light.

"Reynaud, I need you to gather adequate equipment for the troops, we know not the hour at which our enemies will attack us, nor the preparedness of it. Furthermore, tell the Lord Commander of the barracks that he is to begin recruiting any person, be it man or woman, who knows which side a blade kills with."

"And if they don't know? What shall I tell them then?"

"It's the pointy end," Fayendrias said with a grin, "it matters little of the enemies prowess or fame, they all die the same if you poke them hard enough."

"As you will, my King. I expect that Lord Leo would say that there's much more to it, however." The squire said with a laugh. "Would that be all?"

"There's one more thing, have any more rebels been captured by our skirmish forces?"

"Yes, my lord. There was one who was captured, although, Lord Commander Leo says he'd rather talk with you of this in person, however."

"Very well, that will be all." Fayendrias said, waving away the squire.

So the Lord Commander has a prisoner for me to see to, Fayendrias thought while stroking his stubble, I suppose that will have to be my main priority for right now.

The prison itself was muddy and dirty, although Fayendrias was never sure if it was mud or something else entirely, something that Fayendrias didn't want to know himself. Not only was it incredibly grimy, the prison was also dark and dank, it's coldness swept through his body, shivering, he went on. The cells of the prison were mostly empty, an occasional corpse here or another who was sentenced to life in a cell, forced to starve for the rest of their, admittedly short, days. Through the darkness, he ended up bumping into a shadowy figure and his heart stopped for a few seconds.

"Going somewhere, my King?" A voice said, a voice that radiated of friendliness, yet also of intimidation.

"Lord Commander Leo, I was wondering where you were." Fayendrias said with a grin.

The Lord Commander himself was an intimidating man, to those who didn't know him. He had several scars on the left side of his face from a sword that he suffered in the Battle of the Great-Marsh, many people found the scars unseemly on a man who reported directly to the King, although Fayendrias found it rather fitting for one who should lead his forces. In order to be respected, you must first inspire fear, Fayendrias thought to himself. The only negative of it, Fayendrias found, was that whenever the man grinned out of a jest, his face seemingly twisted and bent much like that of a contortionist.

"You wonder where I am, yet I summoned you," the Commander said bluntly.

He forgets himself, the King thought to himself angrily.

"You don't summon me, Leo," Fayendrias said angrily. "I am the King, and I arrive when I intend to, don't presume to make demands of me."

"Very well, my Lord," the Commander said in a tone reeking of insolence, "I have something that may interest you. It regards our current. . . Employment issue."

"What of it?"

"Come see for yourself," the Lord Commander said has he motioned towards the furthest cell at the back of the prison.

Within that cell was a most peculiar sight, a woman in tattered robes, her dark brown hair had been unwashed for quite a time, and seemed rather brittle and dirty. The cell that the woman resided in seemed to be quite dirty itself as well, the only form of bedding within it was a bale of hay. As she took notice of the Lord Commander and the King, she stood up and walked towards the lighter side of the cell. When Fayendrias saw her face illuminated, he was even more surprised. Her face was ugly and scarred from battle, she seemed to be missing her eye on her right as well as half her cheek on the same side. On the left side, she had severe burns that extended all the way to the base of her nose. The monstrous woman was also taller then any man even had any right to be, her lofty height put even Jaime Haimon of Fayendrias's court to shame.

The only appealing part of her face was her beautiful and vibrant green eyes, which seemed to

sparkle like an amethyst in the darkness of the cell.

"Who is this. . . beast?" Fayendrias said, in awe of the monstrosity lay before himself.

"This is Aemony, or so she tells us. As the guards told us, she was hired to kill you, My Lord."

"An assassin, you mean to say?"

"No assassin in chains is a true one." Leo said with a satisfied smirk.

"How was she caught?" Fayendrias said in an agitated tone.

"Not without a struggle, that much is true. It took 5 men to restrain her. Two of which died of puncture wounds."

"And the others?" Fayendrias inquired, eyebrows raised.

"Castrated." Leo said bluntly. "They'll live, however. What we've been unable to deduce thus far is as to where her true loyalties lie."

"That'll prove to be a challenge. I have many enemies." Fayendrias said bluntly.

"How many, if I might be so bold?" Leo asked.

"Every other kingdom in this god-forsaken realm, for starters." Fayendrias said.

"You say you need men and women alike who know which way a blade faces? Well this one clearly knows much more about it then it seems." Leo said, his face and scars twisting and turning at the mere suggestion of a grin.

"So it would seem," Fayendrias said nodding, now looking into her piercing green eyes. "You look as if you've not fared well, I trust my men have been kind?"

"Kind enough, m'lord." Aemony spoke back.

"Well, Aemony is it?"

"As it pleases you, m'lord."

"I think your name isn't Aemony, however. . ." Fayendrias said with a grin. Although her face gave no indication of her sincerity. "What's your true name?"

"Kramgaurt." She said hesitantly.

"A monstrous name for a monstrous being." The Lord Commander said, his face twisting.

"That name, it hints of Rynin origins, is there any truth to that notion?" Fayendrias asked.

Kramguart yet said nothing, only nodding to confirm his suspicions.

""I see. . . I'm not mistaken in that thinking they took you as an assassin rather early, yes?"

She nodded silently.

"Assassins, soldiers and informants. These are just a few of the positions of our military power here in the North that can always use expanding."

"Of those, which am I to be?"

"None of them. And all of them." Fayendrias said with a slight grin.

She shot him a curious look.

"To put it simply, I need help destabilizing my enemies as well as their allies, you'd rather a blade in your hand rather then your neck. It seems that an opportunity approaches you."

She said nothing, she simply smiled a devilish grin, her scars contorting hellishly as she nodded.

"Have you heard of the ex-Prince of the West?" Fayendrias asked.

"The brother of the bastard of the West?" Kramguart asked.

Fayendrias slapped her.

"Refer to Eries by that name and I'll see you drawn and quartered." Fayendrias hissed.

"Very well…" Kramgaurt said, feigning bravery.

"I take it you want this ex-prince, Mathian, dead?"

"No." Fayendrias said. "I want you to get close to him."

"Close?" Kramgaurt asked nervously.

"Very. You must know all of his secrets and plans, and report to me."

"Very well." She said as Fayendrias undid her chains. "And when will my work be done?"

"After he lies in a pool of his own blood, but not before he loses everything dear to him, as I once had."