Chapter 02: The Bastard Prince

Kingdom of Aruhel, Central Lands, Royal Keep. 284 AU.

Vale wished he could be anywhere but here. His head was hurting more than if a smith was banging on it with his biggest hammer and the determination of a thousand men. Sadly, he had no choice. The Southern delegation had reached the city gates, and they would soon be at the Royal Keep. As a prince, it was his duty to welcome the guests, no matter how much he wished he could still be abed and asleep. But alas! He was forced to welcome the Southerners alongside his family. The prince glanced at Helio, his younger brother, only to be disappointed in his appearance and attitude. Helio looked as proper as a prince should and, as such, was an incredible bore. He seemed determined to look as true-born as their elder brothers, no matter how pointless it was. Vale had learnt years ago that he shouldn’t bother trying, for he would never be king in the end.

His mother might wish to push on the throne – him or Helio, she didn't seem to care much –, but Vale would rather keep enjoying the privileges of being a royal bastard. He was treated with all the respect owned to a royal offspring without having to deal with the duties. He had no taste for it. Even marriage would be boring. His father had broken thousands of years of tradition by having him and Helio, for having bastards was a disastrous idea for the Ancient Houses. What family would want to spread their powers to children they could barely control? His birth, and then Helio's one, had caused a national uproar, with some lords calling for their execution or castration. It had only been the king's and Vale's grandfather's insistence that had kept them alive and whole. Helio always showed his gratitude to the two men, but Vale didn't. He had no love for them. One had sent his daughter to warm the king's bed, the other had been stupid enough to fall for her, and neither had ever bothered protecting Vale from Queen Neve's wrath.

Vale glanced at the queen. As always, she looked perfect. There was no hair out of her intricated braids and bun, her posture was exemplary, and her dress was the latest fashion trend. Next to her stood her equally perfect sons, Amon and Aaron. 'How unoriginal and confusing', Vale thought for the umpteenth time, almost rolling his eyes. Who called twins like that? She clearly hadn't thought she could carry more than one child and hadn't prepared more than one name, forcing her to improvise. But whether or not she had been forced to improvise, the twins looked just like her and were perfectly identical. They had her green eyes and blond hair, and the only difference between them was their haircut. Amon wore his hair long, whereas Aaron preferred it short. Vale was secretly convinced they had done that so that people could tell them apart.

Probably sensing he was looking at them, the twins stared back at him. Vale gave them a mocking smile. He might not want to be king, but he hoped his half-brothers wouldn't be either, and he loved nothing more but getting on their nerves. As a child, Vale had tried to befriend them, unable to understand what being a bastard meant. But the twins had been jealous of him, jealous because their father had chosen his mother, jealous because Vale had the king's features. Amon and Aaron were their mother's spitting image, but Vale was the king's. Red hair and blue eyes, tall, with broad shoulders. Many people said he looked exactly like the king had at his age. The twins hated him for that and, as revenge, Vale enjoyed causing them as many headaches as he could.

Aaron's expression darkened at Vale's smile, but Amon put a hand on his arm, stopping him from doing whatever he had in mind. Not that Vale cared; the twins hadn't physically come after him since he had become a man. He had inherited House Virinen's powers just like them, so attacking him was pointless. After all, the members of House Virinen had unbreakable bones and skin that wouldn’t be pierced by arrows or swords. There was no use hitting him, even with their superhuman strength. His smirk grew a bit, but Vale was suddenly forced to stop as the guards opened the doors. The herald came forward, his loud voice carrying through the throne room over the nobles' chatter.

"Duke Talfryn of House Yale, Duke of the South, and Lord of Pearlforest! His daughter, the lady Maela, and his nieces, the ladies Hanika and Hamya!"

Vale studied the Southerners. They all shared the darker skin and ebony hair of the South and wore rich clothing, as was expected of the richest House on the continent. The duke was obviously the most charismatic of the group, but his daughter carried herself with the grace and presence of a powerful lady. Her many freckles should give her a childish air, but it was nowhere to be found. Even the duke's nieces looked confident, albeit differently. One was a distinguished lady, while the other seemed quite amused by everyone around her. She looked fun compared to her family, who all seemed complete killjoys. He would need to chat with her and see if she could alleviate his boredom in some way.

The Yales all put a knee on the ground as they reached the throne, eyes on the ground as they waited for the king to order them to stand up. Vale glanced at his father and almost rolled his eyes in annoyance when he noticed that King Rolan had a wicked glint in his eyes. For some reason Vale couldn't understand, the king disliked the Yales. Vale's best theory was that the Crown was envious of House Yale's fortune, but he wasn't sure. All in all, he wasn't surprised when the king let the Yales kneel on the ground for about ten seconds. He could imagine how humiliated the Southerners felt, but he wouldn't say a word about it. It wasn't his problem.

"Rise, Duke Talfryn", Rolan eventually said. "I hope the journey wasn't too tiring, and that the weather was good to you."

"The journey was excellent, Your Grace. The capital is even more beautiful than I remembered, the songs haven't done justice to your improvements of the city", the duke replied politely.

Lady Maela glanced at her father, perhaps surprised at his behaviour or because he hadn’t mentioned the humiliation they had just gone through. Or perhaps she found the city ugly. Vale surely did. The centre of the city was magnificent, filled with mansions and rich establishments. The popular neighbourhoods were pretty as well, albeit much poorer. But then, they were the slums. The buildings there were holding on thanks to some miracles, and it was filled with orphans, low-quality brothels, and criminals. The Southerners had probably not gone through the slums, but they must have seen them. The little lady must have been horrified. She wasn't ready for a life in the Royal Keep.

"Singers can't make poems of renovation plans", the king joked. "They much prefer inventing stories or exaggerating rumours. But you've yet to meet my sons! They're the reasons you’re here, after all."

'End my life right now', Vale thought. Must he truly go through this? He hated it. He wanted to go back to bed and forget about this dreadfully boring day and impossibly annoying situation. Nonetheless, he bowed his head politely when the king introduced him.

"This is Prince Vale, my eldest son with Marchioness Emilia Kale. He turned seventeen last month. Next to him is his brother, Prince Helio, who is fifteen."

"It's an honour to meet you, my Princes", the duke said.

'Yes, how honoured you must feel, bowing your head to a couple of bastards', Vale thought.

The arrival of the four dukes was an event that needed to be celebrated and the following week would be rhythmed by a tourney and other festivities. Otherwise, they would all feel insulted, as they were the four most powerful men in the country excluding the king, although Vale could argue that the duke of the South could rival the king's power with his economic power. It didn't matter to Vale; all he cared about was the celebrations. Parties were his element and he thrived in the chaos that always ensued. There was nothing more entertaining than personally witnessing all the latest scandals.

Except, of course, being part of them. His mother would probably faint or slap him, but Vale didn't care. She couldn't hit him hard enough to hurt him, and if she fainted, she would leave him alone for a while. What a blessing that would be! Marchioness Elenda, his beloved mother, had a nymph's beauty and a storm's temper. When the former didn’t get her what she wanted, the latter came out in a fury of shrieks and slaps. The main target of her anger was obviously Queen Neve, but she couldn’t go against the country's queen even if she was the king’s favourite mistress. Thus, she had turned her anger towards those she could harm, Vale and Helio. But Helio was the perfect son, so Vale endured the marchioness' wrath alone. Not that he blamed Helio for being a model prince and escaping their mother's anger. He only wished his little brother wasn't such a constant bore.

A knock on his chamber's doors snapped Vale out of his reverie, and he gestured at his attendant to open the door. Helio came in, his own attendant following him, his usual bright smile on the face. Vale sighed; he hoped his brother wouldn't try to follow him around like he usually did at feasts and tourneys. He wanted to enjoy chaos in peace.

"Brother, are you ready? Mother is expecting us to escort her to the feast", he said.

Vale glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He was dressed in rich clothes with the Virinen banner on his back. His hair was a spiky mess, but he liked it like that. If the marchioness was unhappy, too bad for her. She had never asked for his opinion regarding her dozens of dresses, and Vale personally thought much of them were ugly. Half of them were made for younger ladies, and the other half were the Virinen colours, which looked atrocious on her. He wondered just how much she would humiliate herself this evening and during the tourney. How she had caught the king's eye was a mystery for Vale.

"Yes, it will do. Let's go. Oliver, I won't need you before tomorrow morning", he told his attendant.

"Yes, my Prince."

Putting his hands in his pockets, Vale followed Helio outside of his chambers.

"What do you think of the Southerners?" Helio asked once they were alone.

"Nothing special. One of the cousins looks fun, but that's it."

"I think the duke looks almost just as regal as Father. I'd love to talk with him! Lady Maela is beautiful as well, don't you think? She looks very noble; she'll make a good duchess."

"She's twelve, Helio. She won't be anything for a while. But if you find her this pretty, ask her for a dance at the feast."

"Mother would be delighted", Helio joked good-heartedly. "Alas, I think our brothers will beat us to it."

"The size difference would be pretty fun to watch", Vale snorted. “She's what… Four feet half? Five feet? She's ridiculously small and thin."

Helio gave him a look.

"You're just a giant, brother. As you've said, she's twelve. She'll surely grow taller in the future."

"Six feet five isn’t that tall for a Virinen, Grandfather was more than seven feet tall."

"No, it is. Grandfather holding the record doesn't mean you’re not a giant as well", the fifteen-years-old boy insisted.

"If you insist", Vale shrugged. "Anyways, I don't see our brothers dancing with her. She's much shorter, and she's from the South."

"So what? The South is the richest duchy."

"Because half of the nobles hate the Southerners, for reasons I haven't bothered to understand. Neve would never alienate them like that. Plus, Aaron is betrothed, and Amon will soon be as well."

There was also the fact that the capital's most expensive working girls were all from the South, and many had started associating them with all the Southerners. Their skin colour and hair gave them an exotic hair some perverts loved, although Vale didn't care much. He would never say that to Helio, however. His brother was everything a prince should be according to songs and legends, and he saw the world through glasses of honour and decency. Vale wouldn't the one to break his heart. He would get him the booze he would need to deal with it, though. He could be a good brother, from time to time. And as such, he would protect his brother's innocence a bit longer.

They finally reached their mother's chambers, from which she emerged clad in the most beautiful dress Vale had ever seen her wear. It was brand new and seemed to be made with the finest silk. The pale blue bodice was embroidered with glittering gems, and the skirt was a darker blue, with silver roses embroidered at the hem. It was the first time he had seen her with House Kale's colours, silver and blue. If this is how she used to be back when she had met the king, Vale could see how she had become his favourite mistress and paramour. But after so many years dressed in House Virinen colours, why was she switching to her own House's colours?

"Mother, you look beautiful tonight", he said.

"Do I look ugly the rest of the time?" she jested before waving at her maids to go away. "Let's go, my dear sons", she told them.

Vale instinctively offered her his arm, and she took graciously with a small smile. They started to walk down the corridors towards the great hall, and Vale couldn't help but notice that everyone was staring at his mother with wide, awe-struck, eyes. Everyone was just as surprised as he was, it seemed. He glanced at his mother, admiring the auburn curls she had masterfully braided in a bun with a hair-net of silver and sapphires while hearings of white-gold were dangling from her ears. She looked decades younger she was. What had happened to her in the few hours he hadn't seen her?

"Has Father visited you today?" he eventually asked.

"Of course not. Why would he?" she replied, and Vale could swear she had almost snorted.

"He's in love with you, Mother", Helio intervened.

"Oh, Helio, you're such a sweet boy", she sighed kindly, ruffling his perfect hair.

"Then the Queen?" Vale questioned, bracing himself for his mother's wrath.

She stilled and glared furiously at him; her piercing eyes sharper than a thousand swords. Yet, she didn't strike him, nor did she raise her voice. Instead, she sighed and looked away.

"She did. And we need to work together. She's quite unhappy that you were introduced to the dukes as princes of the realm, and she's even more insulted that we'll sit at the king's table during the feast."

"Shouldn't she be used to it, at this point?"

"She has more pride than brains. The four dukes aren't the capital's nobles, they're the heads of the Ancient Houses. They're the realm's pride and history. Having you sitting at the same table as her sons is crushing her and her House's pride'', she explained before turning to him, a smirk on her face. "Nothing could make me happier than see her expression when we'll come in. She has no idea what's coming."

Vale raised an eyebrow. Up until this day, his mother's attempt at making him or Helio King had always been discreet. She would try to influence the king, tried to make him a perfect prince who would impress his father with his success, tried to make some allies at court, but nothing else. Calling the four dukes hadn't been her idea, nor had she been consulted on it. All in all, she had never openly declared war to Queen Neve, because the queen's House – the Blackstones – were among the most powerful ones in the realm. So, what was pushing her to do so today?

"Well, I know what's coming. Lots of political headaches. What made you decide to declare war like that?" he asked. "What could she potentially say to make you do that? House Kale doesn't stand a chance against House Blackstone, and she most likely has half the realm in her pocket."

"I don't care what advantage she has. I’ve been stupid up until today, but we need to change this situation", she all but snarled.

Vale frowned. He could feel her shake with both anger and fear, which he despised. No matter how his mother behaved today, she had been the only to protect him when he was a child. She used to smile and sing at him every day; she would dry his tears when Aaron and Amon bullied him. She had even put herself between him and the twins the day they had thrown rocks and insults at him. Her nose had been broken and her wrist as well. Vale found her annoying and overbearing most of the time, but he still loved his mother dearly. She would always protect him and fight for him, he knew that. She was the only one who would always be on his side. Therefore, no matter how much they fought, he would never allow someone to frighten her like that.

"Mother, what really happened?"

"The Queen didn’t visit me on her own", she said eventually. "She came with her father, Marquis Blackstone. They didn't say it clearly, but they threatened your lives. She said if she failed while the king is alive, she would get rid of you the second one of her sons takes the throne. The succession crisis and the dukes' arrival really enraged her."

Vale gritted his teeth. He had always known this day would come. The day his life would openly be his danger. Now that he thought about it, he was quite lucky it had happened so late. Many bastards would have been dealt with years ago. If it wasn't for the king's fondness of their mother and Helio, they would have been killed a long time ago. But now, his life was truly in danger. The succession crisis had been Queen Neve's last straw. She was done playing nice, and war was coming whether they wanted to or not. Vale hated this situation. He was far too lazy and generically uninterested in politics to care about what would happen to Aruhel and its people. However, he cared about his life, and he had no intention of being threatened by those damn twins and their mother. If they were going to war, was it not better to declare it on their own term?

He breathed deeply as the herald announced them.

"Marchioness Elenda Kale and her sons, the Princes Vale and Helio Virinen!"

They took a step together inside the great hall, and everyone but the Queen stood to welcome them. Vale locked eyes with her. She wanted a war? He would make sure to give her a damn good one.