Chapter II: The Dead King's Court

     The royal family of Brienne held a strong front with two great leaders. Now it only has one. I had secretly hoped deep down that the king was simply in hiding. I suppose that was wishful thinking. Though royal and strictly brought up, there are times they lose their composure. This is clearly one of those times. The Queen before me, for many reasons in my heart, I see as my daughter, sister, mother and friend. While the king, who had taken me under his wing, was my teacher and brother. I approached the thrones, stroking princess Axenscia's hair and put her down on her throne. Then walked over to Queen Rhae, opening my arms.

     "If I may, Your Majesty?" I held her hand. With a nod, I embraced her doing what I could to comfort her. She was raised alongside King Vrien and had been engaged to him since childhood. She brought glory to the Rhevihr name as a smart, talented, well-rounded lady.

     "Mother," Prince Amil called, "The assassin has been captured." Prince Amil held a letter with a pigeon on the arm of his throne. His emotions unclear.

     "We should call for the royal court and discuss what to do with him. For now, have him locked in the east tower." She lifted the right arm of her throne and revealed some stationary. Offering it to her son, she smiled and pinched his cheek softly after caressing it, admiring his eyes that reminded her of the late king.

     "We just had a war." She faced me again, her facial expression changing from mourning to calculative. "The land that was once called the Kingdom of Veurs is now owned by Brienne, their king is no longer a king, they have assassinated my husband, and now most likely run away. Amil is only 17, Axenscia is 7, and you- you're a century old." She jumped from one topic to another. "The Kingdom needs to be fortified, Amil isn't done with his training yet—"

     "Your Majesty, Rhoum might hire another assassin." I noted, worried about the rest of the royal family but needing to get things in order. Rather bitterly, I had to keep a clear head. Especially now that the queen seems shaken. The children are probably confused, but Prince Amil might have a little understanding on the topic. I wish I could ask Axenscia to return to her room but right now it seems best to discuss this altogether. "Your Royal Highness, if I may, I suggest we call the royal court now." I asked softly, she's still in mourning but we needed to eliminate the threat.

     "Yes, yes, you're right. Let us." She sniffled and dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. Despite still being upset, she, more than anyone, knew she needed to prioritize the kingdoms stability. How it would be stabilized needed to be discussed with the royal court.

     "Let's discuss this with the court. I'll need to speak to the minister of international affairs." The queen agreed, "Dame Samuel, please summon the royal court." She said, rising from her throne.

     "Yes, Your Majesty." I stepped back, bowed my head and opened the throne room's doors. "Pattri, summon the royal court to the tactic room." I told the queen's lady-in-waiting who was waiting outside with the stationary as well as the royal seal.

     "Alright, Dame Samuel." Pattri nodded and called a passing handmaiden, ordering her to inform the royal court of the sudden meeting. After which she waited for the queen who quickly exited the throne room. The lady-in-waiting then followed the queen to the tactic room.

     I looked in the throne room and quietly beckoned the prince and princess, "Am-am, Xensci, come. The both of you should attend this meeting." I whispered.

     Princess Axenscia was quick to come while Prince Amil dragged his feet.

     "Prince Amil," I threw my arm around the boy, covering him with my cape, "We will have our justice." I assured him.

     "I know we will, but Sam, your arm hurt my shoulder just now." He winced and knocked on my wooden arm playfully. "You should cover yourself properly too." He reminded me as he left my cape, forcing a smile.

     "Aren't I too young for this?" The princess furrowed her brows and stared at me as the three of us began to walk to the tactic room.

     "Well yes, but it would be safer for us to stick together in this situation. Think of the meeting as an advanced lesson." I reasoned with her. The princess, academically, is already quite advanced, as all royals should be.

     "Do you have cookies?" The princess whispered. "I think they'd make me feel better..."

     I stifled a laugh as Xenci seemed to be making light of the situation. "No, but I have fruits."

     "You always have fruits." She rolled her eyes and went ahead. I sighed.

     "I like your fruits, Sam." Prince Amil patted my shoulder. He seemed to be older now that I realized he'll be crowned king soon.

     "Would you like one?" I reached for my pouch with seeds.

     "Maybe after the meeting." He quickened his pace and followed his sister.

     We eventually reached the tactic room where half of the court was already present. Some clearly rushed here, while others seemed ready for this. We stood waiting for the rest of the court, and sat when we were finally complete.

     "The prince and princess are here. Greetings for the royal family." The minister of finances commented, but it sounded more like a confused statement.

     "Yes, it's safer this way." I informed.

     "Or just one big bomb ready to go off." I heard the minister of defense mumble. I understood his mindset: keeping the entirety of the royal family in one room right after an assassination is like putting a flare on a target. Despite the rightful thought, this meeting is necessary and it would be far safer for all of them to be in one place with me around.

     "Now that royal court is complete, we need to figure out what to do. We need to figure out why the king was assassinated. If Rhoum has another target, he might send another assassin." The queen spoke firmly, pointing out there might be more targets.

     "International Affairs Minister, please revise the situation with what was the Kingdom of Veurs." Ordered Queen Rhae.

     "Yes, Your Majesty." The International Affairs Minister, Carlos, replied, taking out his journal. The rest of the court did so as well. "Firstly, the Kingdom of Veurs and the Kingdom of Brienne were allied through the market of goods and resouces, trading." Carlos looked at the minister of international trade, Gabrielle, to give information.

     "Veurs had provided us with various fruits and medicinal herbs and stones, as well as wynt mist which is found only in the northern kingdoms. Brienne offered their market high grade armour and weaponry as well as magical assistance." Gabrielle briefed us.

     "King Vrien and King Rhoum's relationship was simply that of trade and profits. In other words, solely professional, which I'm guessing could have lasted a good few generations, and if calculated calculated, was assumed to last around two to three centuries. Right, the war was quite unexpected." The Queen summarised.

     "Secondly, the Veurserian Kingdom rules the majority of the north. The kingdom's land is around thrice the size of Brienne's but most of it is wilderness and the population is small in comparison. They source on wildlife and are renowned intellectuals who best in defense but only when under attack. The defense plan they have incase the kingdom's heart is struck is remarkable, but the defense on their borders: not so much." Carlos commented, "The battle field was definitely no place for them." He continued.

     "The usual build of the fighters in the north, which were little in numbers to begin with, are bulky, strong, and heavy. Brienneri people are of medium build, and daresay balanced in terms of fighting. Though in most cases the higher the ranking warrior, the better their agility. If not their agility, then their magical abilities. A mage is extremely rare in the north, but the central and southern lands have more luck with them." Pointed out the minister of defense.

     "Do you think they're rallying with the west?" I thought out loud.

     "That could be the case." Carlos dotted it down. A few other court members nodded in agreement.

     "What reason would the west have to go against us? Why not fight us themselves?" Prince Amil asked.

     Though we all assumed the prince and princess would just observe the meeting, however, it is ideal if the prince would start joining in on the meetings considering he would officially be a part of them eventually. Sooner than later, no less.

     "The Houlei Kingdom has denied multiple deals with our kingdom, Your Royal Highness." Informed Gabrielle, "They have refused trade, mercenaries, and assistance."

     "Aside from this, the royal family for Houlei failed to show for Her Royal Highness' birthdays, and most of your birthdays." Carlos looked at the royal children before explaining, "Usually it is custom for the royal families to gather and celebrate each other's birthdays as a sign of peace. It is in relation to politics and public formalities." Carlos explained.

     "I see. Considering Veurs clearly seemed to have the a good relationship with Brienne, do you think that perhaps, just maybe, Houlei has a hold on them?" Prince Amil suggested.

     "Your Royal Highness?" The finance minister furrowed his brows in question.

     This is a possibility but for all we know, the north and west never really interacted. It is however much better than the north just suddenly turning on us blatantly without reason. It gives us a trail, or at the very least a start to go from.

     "I doubt it Your Royal Highness, but it is a possibility—"

     "The assassin decimated himself!" A guard burst in, announcing the assassin's death.