To go or not to go....

In the meeting hall, seven imperial guards sat as the glanced around the fifth prince's home. This was the first time any of them will get to meet the fifth prince, let alone sit in his hall.

Unlike his brothers, the fifth prince has lived away from the royal family and the imperial city since the age of thirteen. Taking over his mother's family home, when his mother passed and the rest of the clan family members died.

Prince Ailwin was the anomaly within the royal family. Born under the dragon star and son of to the sickly fourth wife. Everyone assumed he would amount to nothing, even the king never showed him any care. Going so far as to treat him as a stranger.

During his childhood prince, Ailwin always followed his father's shadow, looking for his love; but the King's favor always laid with the other princes. People no longer saw little Ailwin's shadow chasing after his father. Instead, prince Ailwin turned his back on the royal family who didn't care for him and never looked back.

In his studies, prince Ailwin continuously was at the top, outshining his other siblings.

When the King would sing of one prince's academics. The people who give praises for prince Ailwin getting the top score in school.

When the King congratulated one of his princes on his marksmanship and gave him gifts. Word would come of prince Ailwin joining the army. Becoming one of the youngest commanders in history.

Just when everyone thought he was eyeing the throne. He picked up all his belonging and moved into his mother's maiden home. Out of reach of the Kaia kingdom and royal family, he rebuilt his mother's discarded clan and built an army of his own in the process.

With his outstanding talent and looks, many men looked up to him and many women wanted to marry him.

As soon as Ailwin walked in, the men snapped to attention. Standing up they all went down in unison on one knee in salute.

"Fifth prince."

"Mmm...Stand. Where is the imperial decree?" Pleasantries out the way the captain of imperial guards bought over a tablet.

Ailwin took the head seat as he skimmed through the words.

"We want me to go to the villages....?" Ailwin arched an eyebrow.

"Yes, fifth prince. The villages on the outer reaches of Kaia kingdom have seen plagues. The people are restless and hunger for honey." The captain of the imperial guards explained.

"....but this job is not from the King..." Ailwin was sure this wasn't an official imperial decree.

"No...this job is from the third prince..." When the third prince gave this message to him, the captain was beside himself with worried. It's one thing for the King to tell a prince to do a job and it's another for a prince to tell another prince to do a job.

"The third prince?...."

*cough* "Yes, during the court session, the King asked the third prince to handle the situation, and all persons of Kaia Kingdom were at his disposal..."

This was what the third prince had told him to say if the fifth prince asks. Yet as the words left his mouth, the fifth prince's eyes got darker and colder by the second.

"Is this all....?"

"Y-y-yes, sir."

"Then you are dismissed." The captain, though had been dismissed stood there not moving.

"Is there something else to report."

"Uh mmm...what should I tell the third prince? Are you taking the job?" The captain also wanted to leave. He couldn't stand the heavy atmosphere, but he couldn't go back to the third prince without an answer.

"You can tell him, the fifth prince will lend a helping hand to the Kingdom." Breathing a sigh of relief, the captain and the rest of the guards saluted and left the meeting hall.

Outside the doors, Braeden was listening to the whole conversation. When the imperial guards left, and the steward escorted them to the gates. Braeden walked in to see Ailwin relaxing in the clan head's chair.

"You actually going to go?"

"You heard?"

"Mmmm...I listened in from the beginning." Not shame of telling of Ailwin of his snooping.

"Yes. I'm going."

"But you know he's using you as his fall guy. If you fail, he will blame it on you, and if you succeed he will take all the credit. Why would you want to hand yourself over like that?" Braeden couldn't grasp Ailwin's thinking.

"One, it will keep my brothers away from me for a while. Two, I'm actually very worried about this situation and three, it's not just my third brother who is ordering me...my father is too." Ailwin said as he counted on his finger all reason he is going.

"The King?...but I thought..."

Shaking his head, Ailwin looked at his friend in the eye.

"The King is trying to see where my thoughts lay. Will I trample over his successor or will I follow third's orders....when have you ever known the King to give full disposal of personnel to a prince. He's testing me, thru third's hands."