The First Prince Rises

"Have a seat, Albert. I think you know why you are here." The King sat at the end of a long table, a bowl of nuts and a goblet of wine sat in front of him along with a thick book. He flipped a page and then asked, "You are a very smart man, Albert, but not as smart as you think. If you keep using pawns like that Cecil to provoke Olivier I won't be able to protect you from his wrath. Stay away from his friends."

Albert looked a little surprised and then chuckled and replied, "As you wish, Father. It seems I was seen through, what gave me away?"

The King waved his hand to an attendant that was seated nearby, a moment after the attendant left the room Cecil and Norris were brought in both looking haggard and beaten. The King shook his head and then said, "Albert, you should know that my own Black Knights are on a level these..." He chuckled, "...Amateurs could never attain in three more lifetimes." He looked at the girl and then asked Albert, "Is this girl special to you, Albert?"

Albert flinched a little and then calmly replied, "Of course not. They are merely pawns."

The King grinned and then looked at Albert and said, "That's good because I quite enjoyed using her last night."

Albert made a fist, the anger started to show on his face, his knuckles cracked and he kept a calm voice and said in an emotionless tone, "Then consider her a present, Father. Since you enjoyed her company."

Cecil whimpered and tears rolled down her cheeks. Norris growled and tried to escape his captivity only to take a heavy blow to the gut from one of the guards holding him.

The King snapped his fingers and then a large man in a hood came into the room holding a large axe. The King looked Albert in the eye and said, "Albert, I am making you the crown prince. I plan to retire in the next four years, I want you to take over the Kingdom. I have seen that you can be ruthless, you tried to kill me and you killed your sister. Now I want to see if you can make the right decisions when it comes to personal matters. These two killed members of our family, what is the punishment for such a crime?"

Albert closed his eyes and then opened them and looked Cecil in the eyes. She looked at him and said through her battered lips, "I love you."

He looked at his father and then said, "Death."

The large man with the axe grabbed the pair one at a time and took them in the other room. The sound of them begging for their lives could be heard and then the heavy impact of the axe as they went silent.

The King ate a few of the nuts and then took a drink and asked, "Can you guess why I chose you over Olivier?"

Albert thought a minute and then said, "Because Olivier isn't cut out to be a leader?"

The King set his goblet down and then looked at Albert and said, "If I allow Olivier to take the throne, he will become the greatest King in this country's history. Not only does he have what it takes to be a leader, but he has also already learned the lesson that you other two idiots completely overlooked. Friends. Friends are power, Albert. Your pretty girl and her manservant weren't powerful friends, they were tools. You don't befriend your tools.

The reason I chose you over Olivier is that Olivier has a greater role to play in his current position. The Royal family is powerful in our own Kingdom as things stand right now, but on the larger stage, we are ants. That is unless your brother and his friend Guy de Montfort become powerful enough to protect us, and as of right now, they are very much that powerful. When I saw you provoke Guy de Montfort I nearly had you killed myself. Did you know that he alone holds more power just in financial terms than our entire Kingdom?"

Albert looked shocked, "I knew the Montfort family had been earning more income but.."

The King shook his head and said, "Guy de Montfort is the owner of Montfort industries, and also another company you may recognize. The Ito Conglomerate. The Ito Conglomerate has slowly been pushing its way into markets all over the continent. Their banks, mining, foresting, travel, cosmetics and so many other products and industries it makes my head spin. All of it came from the mind of Guy de Montfort."

Albert looked pale, "I've been trying to force them to give me information on the power behind them, but.."

The King slammed his fist on the table, "You're sloppy and stupid! The force you have been constantly provoking is not something someone at my level can provoke and yet you and your little minions thought you could push them around?"

Albert looked confused and then he weakly asked, "Then why did you make me the crown prince?"

The King grinned and said, "Because you can be molded and forged into a proper king. This next year I am sending you to the Academy of Swords and Magic."

Albert looked confused again, "To learn Magic?"

The King did a slow facepalm and then rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Have you not listened to a word I said? Friends. Albert. I am sending you to the Academy to make friends. Not tools, not pawns and not toys, but friends. Friends are power. I want you to repeat it for me."

Albert turned red and then said, "Friends are power."

The King nodded and said, "Albert, you have the chance, the opportunity to befriend the next generation of the most powerful people in the Kingdom and possibly the rest of the world. Do you understand the significance of the gift I am giving you?"

Albert took a deep breath and then said, "Father, I understand. Thank you for opening my eyes."

The King looked at Albert and then said, "While you attend the Academy, I want you to find a good wife, she just can't be associated with the Council of Magic. Look for a princess from a neighboring country or perhaps the Harcourt girl. Just not anyone from that Council. The Council and I came to an agreement that they would be free of royal interference as long as they all gave up claims to family power here in the Kingdom, including marriage."

Albert thought of Cecil and his heart pained. He looked at his father and then nodded. He stood up and started to walk out of the room. The King called out, "Albert, just one more thing."

He turned and looked at his father, all emotion had left his face. He asked, "Yes, Father?"

The King picked up his goblet and took a drink, "The next time you send an assassin after me, I'll use your woman to make myself a new heir before I have that axe take your head, am I understood?"

Albert nodded and then said, "Yes, Father." Albert thought, 'Someday I will have your life for hers, Father. Dear Cecil, I will never forget you. No matter what woman I decide to marry, it will only ever be you that I love.'

*****

First Mage Diggory met with the new Chairman of the new Academy and discussed the plans the Council came up with for the school. The Chairman nodded in agreement and then asked, "First Mage, will the Council interfere with the daily operations of the school?"

Diggory shook his head and said, "You will be in charge of the School, we will only be in charge of the Magic portion."

The Chairman nodded and then asked, "Most of the Council of Magic didn't graduate from Academy de L'échec, are they planning to finish out their schooling?"

Diggory shook his head and said, "Second Mage Montfort and Third Mage d'Aumont will not be attending, they will instead be teaching. Their scores from the first year justified it. Also, Fifth Mage Alicia de Foix and Fourth Mage Olivier de la Marche plan to only study magic. Sixth Mage Doreen Leon will attend the Academy and learn magic."

The Chairman nodded and then said, "Very well. Our new Swords Master also did not graduate I see, but with his scores..."

Diggory nodded, "He wasn't cut out to be a student, but he is the finest swordsman in the Kingdom aside from those two on the Council."