~ Chapter 41: The letter that sealed their fate ~
[Seryanna’s point of view]
As soon as Alkelios mentioned the possibility of a plot, I rushed out of the inn and headed to the Seyendraugher Palace. A dark thought formed in the back of my mind, and the only one who could help me disperse it was her Highness Elleyzabelle Sojourn Seyendraugher the Third Princess of the Albeyater Kingdom. There were far too many signs pointing in this direction, and I couldn’t help but worry for her safety.
Currently, grandfather’s army, the Brekkar Army was the ace up her sleeve, but with their General in a presumed critical condition for more than thirty years now, there was a high chance that his majesty, the King, would make a move to restore it to its former glory.
Back when we were in Tomeron, grandfather told Alkelios that he had been a General for 50 years. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either. Having reached a Breakthrough Awakening when he was 234 years old, he quickly became one of the most prized fighters of the King. At the age of 300, he was already considered to be the Right Hand of his Majesty. For more than 100 years, my grandfather was our kingdom’s most powerful General, until the Third Princess was born. At that time, the Prime Minister suggested that grandfather should join her party and declare his achievements in her name.
From a military point of view, it changed nothing. This was all a political play to keep the Third Princess safe from the hands of possible corrupt nobles who would have done anything to enter the Royal Family and use their new authority for their own selfish reasons. Grandfather became the perfect tool for this, but then Albeyater Kingdom was struck by the event that would come to change all of our lives... the Human Invasion.
In the aftermath, grandfather became a cripple unable to wield his full might, and the power supporting the Third Princess grew weaker with each passing year.
Three decades ago, she had over twenty knights, but now... she had only me.
If she were to lose both the Brekkar Army and myself, then the Third Princess would have no choice but to end up playing the role of a political coin. Her free will would be shackled, and her freedom taken.
I can’t let that happen... I can’t allow her to end up like that. As her Royal Knight, it’s my sworn duty to protect her... no matter the cost. I thought to myself as I entered the Seyendraugher Palace and rushed to her chamber.
As soon as I reached the hallway, I noticed that there wasn’t even a guard protecting her anymore.
With a gulp, I knocked at the door.
“Princess Elleyzabelle? It is I, Sir Seryanna. I have returned as per your request.” I declared.
“Enter.” the calm voice I was familiar with replied from the other side.
Standing up straight, I opened the door and stepped inside.
There, at the window, I saw the dragoness whom I decided to serve in this lifetime.
Standing at a height that reached only up to my chin, she wore a beautiful white dress of a simple, yet elegant design. Cloth flowers were sewed at the bottom of the hem, while golden leafs were embroidered on the upper part. The bodice was simple and pushed out her chest while hiding it behind the frills of her neckline. She had long sleeves that stretched out past her arm length but didn’t touch the floor.
As far as her Awakened draconian features went, her tail was completely white and lacking any spikes, but it was long and easy to control. Her wings were big, more so than Kataryna’s, but although appearing as white, they held a line of golden scales on top of the bone, which I knew they continued underneath her clothes and flowed down on her back, ending at the point where her tail began. Her golden eyes were slit like those of a dragon in full-beast form, and a pair of straight white horns sprouted backwards at a perfect 45 degrees angle right behind her pointy ears. On the left and right side of her bottom jaw, three scales could be seen lined up and pointing towards her chin. A single golden scale had formed on each of her cheek bones.
“I am glad to see you arrived safely. How was your journey?” she asked.
Her gentle smile was, as always, soothing for the heart and soul.
“I traveled well and met interesting people.” I replied after I knelt on one knee in front of her like any knight would in front of their master.
“Rise.” she said and then turned around to look out the window.
“Yes, your Highness.” I replied respectfully and then took up an attention stance.
I waited patiently for the Princess to be the first to speak, so I would not be considered as rude or disrespectful towards her.
For the Knights and most noble dragons and dragonesses, it was common sense that when speaking with someone from the Royal Family, you had to be at all times polite and respectful towards them. The tone of your voice was never supposed to be raised above a certain volume no matter how angered you were, and there were countless gestures you had to take into account so as to not bring offense to them.
As such, I felt a bit wary in regard with letting Alkelios step inside the Seyendraugher Palace before I taught him some proper court manners and etiquette. It was rather unfortunate that I was unable to do so throughout our journey.
“How have you been, Sir Seryanna? Are you in good health?” she asked me in a calm tone of voice.
“Your Highness, I have been well. I am pleased to report that I am in good health and ready to fulfill my duty.” I replied without changing my posture or letting emotion show on my face.
“That’s good to hear. During this journey of yours from the Drakaria to Tomeron and back, have you made any new friends or encountered any interesting people? Your friend, Lady Gorrashy, came by last week to ask if I had received any news from you. I believe you should go and pay her a visit when you have the chance, to ease her worry.” she asked me.
“Thank you, your Highness, for letting me know. I will see to it that I will meet her as soon as I have the time. And yes, I have made two new friends. A dragoness who has reached her Breakthrough, who goes by the name of Kataryna Greorg, and a human hero who goes by the name of Alkelios Yatagai.” I replied honestly in a respectful and calm tone of voice.
Lying or sneaking behind my master’s back was something akin to betrayal. Her orders for me were absolute just as were those of his Majesty, the King. As a knight, I was obliged to answer and follow the commands of only these two. The Prime Minister could at most only act as a mere messenger in case of simple instructions. As for the Queen, who was the highest authority in the Albeyater Kingdom, she was currently unavailable because of her poor health.
“A human and a Breakthrough Awakened I have not heard of until now?” she turned around and looked at me with a serious expression on her face.
“Yes.” I replied while bowing my head.
I remained in this position because I understood that this matter was by far not a light one.
“This human... you said he was a human hero, correct? What does this imply?” she asked.
“Yes. Alkelios told me that several months ago, around the time the two of us met, a God-like entity brought 10 million humans from his world to ours, him included, and gave them unique powers and abilities. From what I understood, they have been scattered throughout our world and mingled with all civilizations.” I replied.
“So, they are allies of the human kingdoms?” she asked me, and I could feel a tinge of worry in the tone of her voice.
“No. I have confirmed through Alkelios’ behavior and words that at the time of their arrival, none of those 10 million can be considered the allies of the human nations.”
“Why is that so?”
“Alkelios is a human that cannot distinguish the difference between commoner and nobility. He behaves around all of them in a similar manner. I would even go so far as to say his behavior highly resembles that of someone who reached a Breakthrough. This is because in his world, they have changed their political system to one that has no such classes, and everyone is seen as equal more or less.”
“That’s preposterous! How could something like this be true? Without an authority like the Queen or King, a country would fall into chaos! Worse even, it would slowly succumb to the corruption and greed of those who thrive in the world of politics! Without a Royal Family, such pests would run the country as they pleased and the commoners under them would suffer greatly!” the Princess spoke in a harsh tone of voice, showing her displeasure and disapproval of such a system.
“Yet this is what he claims, and I can ascertain that so far, he has spoken no lies. Even my grandfather approves of him.” I said.
“What? Even Sir Brekkar... This is... unexpected.” the Princess appeared to be shocked by this information.
This much was a given, especially when one looked back at everything that has happened in the past 100 years, and more specifically during the war 38 years ago. Normally, I shouldn’t be looking at Alkelios with a love-struck gaze but one of disgust, anger, and hate.
Fortunately, my grandfather thought me better, and he was the one who declared that not all humans he met were bad. Some were forced by their society to act as they did, while others were threatened. In reality, there were many humans who disapproved of this war as much as the dragons did, but the opinions of the commoners and those of the royals were as different as the sun and the two moons in the sky. This was an absolute truth!
“Alkelios Yatagai is also the man I have chosen to love.” I declared then.
“What? But he’s a human? Especially after what his kind did to your family, you... Why?” she asked, but I understood from the tone of her voice that she was not only confused but also worried about my wellbeing.
“I firmly believe that he is not like those who brought harm upon both our families... Neither do I think his words speak lies and his feelings are untrue.” I replied in a calm tone of voice.
“If this is what you believe, then I will put my faith in you.” she let out a sigh.
“Thank you, your Highness.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t believe my father or the other nobles in this palace will agree with this, especially Draejan Andrakaryus Doesya.” she let out another sigh.
“That may be so, but if you or the King order me to break all ties with him, then... with a heavy heart, I will do so.”
I felt like those words struggled to leave my throat, and my heart throbbed in pain. Unknown to me, even my relaxed palms clenched into tight fists, showing my utmost desire for such a thing not to happen.
After a moment of silence, the Princess spoke “I will never order you such a thing, but my father... already has.”
Those last words of hers struck me like the fist of the strongest monster in the Seculiar Forest. They stopped my train of thought and brought me in a state in which I was looking with a confused expression at the Princess.
“Sigh... What do you believe our party’s current status is?” she asked.
“Erm... I apologize, but I have been away from the capital for quite a while now. If I remember right, there were at least a dozen guards left under your command, the Brekkar Army, myself, Dregarya Gorrashy, and about seven noble houses?” I replied.
“That was then. Now, only you and Dregarya Gorrashy were left on my side. I have no more guards to order and no backup from any noble family except yours.” she looked down.
“What? How can that be?” I asked bewildered.
There was no way that the Third Princess’ party had succumbed to such a degree so quickly.
Turning her gaze to the desk next to the wall, she then told me “Please read the opened letter.”
I nodded and then walked over to it.
I picked it up and read the following lines:
To the The Third Princess of the Dragon Kingdom Albeyater, Elleyzabelle Sojourn Seyendraugher, I officially wish to inform you that his Majesty, the King of Albeyater, Feryumstark Seyendraugher, has declared my engagement with Seryanna Draketerus to be official and of high importance to the Albeyater Kingdom.
Their esteemed Highness, Prince Charmeill Seyendraugher and Prince Elovius Seyendraugher have both expressed their acceptance and positive remarks in regard to his Majesty’s wise decision.
As the next General of the Brekkar Army, I believe this union will bring about a most flourishing future for both our parties.
From Draejan Andrakaryus Doesya, the esteemed son of Duke of Doesya and the Sixth Princess of Albeyater.
A single thought went through my mind as I read these words: What sort of mockery is this? Engagement? Since when?
The same hypothetical situation I discussed with Alkelios not too long ago turned out to be an unavoidable truth just like a sheep awaiting the opportune moment to pounce on a wolf. The one authority who could move everyone as they pleased, the King, was the one who agreed and... ordered this engagement.
As a knight, no matter how much I was against this, denying this order was akin to betraying the entire country and more importantly, the Princess under whom I served. All that was left for me to do was to bow down and obey like the loyal subject I was... I could not even cry and run away with my tail between my legs.
With my hands frozen on the letter, my emotions all stirred within my chest. Rage, anger, sorrow, and despair... they all piled up together and ripped apart my heart. There was no way out, no escape. But it was clear there was more to this letter, more to this mockery of my feelings.
Then as if reading the mood that settled within my heart, the Princess let her voice be heard.
“Funny how things turned out like this... Like a castle of cards, everything fell apart from that moment 38 years ago.” the Princess let out a heavy sigh.
“Your Highness...” I tried to speak up, but suddenly... my cheeks were wet.
I’m crying? Why? I thought in shock, but then I quickly wiped my tears, yet they kept flowing.
A gentle hand was placed on my shoulder and a pair of golden eyes filled with guilt looked back at me. The Princess bit her underlip and looked down.
“I’m sorry... I couldn’t protect even you, my last knight.” she said.
My knees turned weak, but I refused to subdue and fall down. I refused to do so, yet... there was nothing I could do.
“I... Why?” was all I could ask as whimpers escaped my lips.
“Draejan hit two birds with one stone as they say... The opportunity came, so he seized it.” the Princess shook her head. “You know? As soon as I received this letter, I found out that the guards outside my chamber had been called away. Right now, I don’t even have the power to protect myself let alone another. Even so, I rushed over to my father, to plead for him to annul this engagement, but the guards would not let me see him. My brother, Prime Minister Elovius, came to speak to me on behalf of our father. He told me that he was too busy to deal with my... ‘tantrum’ right now.” she clenched her delicate fists and glared at the floor.
Although she was like this, the tone of her voice was calm. Even now she was restraining herself to act as a diligent and elegant princess, as one befit of her royal status.
But from her words, I understood quite well what this meant... The party of the Third Princess had collapsed. I was the last pedestal... It was a brilliant political move, but a devastating one for all of our futures.
“Thank you for your effort, your Highness... I appreciate it.” I spoke, but my voice was so weak, it barely came out.
“There’s nothing to thank me for, I failed.” she closed her eyes and turned her head to the left “With Draejan being named as the General of the Brekkar Army, I thought that he wouldn’t last long because the soldiers wouldn’t listen to him as they did to your grandfather. But then he came up with this tournament idea to promote the strong ones among them, gaining the favor of many within the commanding ranks. One of the reasons I called you back was because I thought that if you were to prove yourself in this tournament of his, you could win your grandfather’s army from him.” she let out a sigh.
I continued to listen as I felt my heart struggling to accept this truth, or rather, to find a way out of it.
“The final blow...” she said “was given when he suggested to my father to let him take you as his wife... This way, the new General of the Brekkar Army would have by his side the daughter of the former general. The moral of the soldiers would rise instead of falling. And with the approval from my brothers, he practically took away in that instant both my army... and my last knight. He won...”
“There’s nothing we can do?” I asked hoping for something... anything.
“It’s a declaration from my father... not a suggestion.” she pointed out.
Indeed, this was akin to an order. If it was the latter, I could have brought Alkelios over as my lover and maybe convince his Majesty not to let Draejan continue with this political marriage. That could have been my last chance, my last resort, but unfortunately, that too was taken away.
“You said that you love this Alkelios fellow, correct?” she asked me.
“Yes, I do so very much.” I replied without the smallest sign of hesitation in my voice.
“Then... maybe... Hm, bring him to me. If my interview of him goes well, there may still be a chance to turn this around. At best cancel your engagement or postpone it long enough for father to be convinced that Alkelios is on our side not on that of the humans.” she looked back at me with a determined look in her eyes.
When she said this, I felt as though she had read my mind, or rather my intention of depending on Alkelios as my last hope, my last chance at freedom from those political chains.
“But what about you, your Highness?” I asked.
“My fate is already sealed as a mere political coin to be traded off when it will be needed. This way, I can at least try to keep you, my last knight and also my friend, away from that dragon’s grasp.” she showed me a smile.
“I thank you from the bottom of my heart!” I replied and knelt before her.
To think that even with this last drop of her strength, she was still trying to help me. There was no doubt in my mind that I had chosen the right master to serve even if her political power was now almost non-existent.
“But you should first go and visit Dregarya Gorrashy. Have her fix your armor; it looks like you just returned from a fierce battle.” she told me.
“Yes, your Highness. To be more specific, I faced off Kataryna Greorg in battle and then an army of draconian undead spawned by the dungeon near Pertiko village. In both cases, I am highly thankful for Alkelios’ cooperation as he was the one who was able to bring both battles to a closure.” I expressed my honest opinion.
“Is that so? I will take it into consideration when we will meet for the first time.” she nodded.
“Then I will go and meet with Dregarya Gorrashy before issuing the official summon to Alkelios Yatagai, Kataryna Greorg, and my sister Thraherkleyoseya Draketerus.” I said and bowed respectfully in front of Princess Elleyzabelle.
I mentioned their names as well because I considered that they too could be of use now, when her party lacked both the number and strength to keep her afloat at the Palace. With a bit of luck and maybe a wish from Alkelios, I could save the Princess as well.
“Please do so.” she nodded and then I left her chamber.
[Princess Elleyzabelle’s point of view]
When my last knight, Seryanna Draketerus left my room, I let out a sigh and laid down on my bed. Although I never mentioned it during our conversation, but that letter was received just the other day. It was written in such a way that it declared with absolute confidence that I had no way out.
Without a knight by my side, I had literally no protection, which in itself would prompt the high nobles to request marrying me off into a foreign family. Most of my sisters have been married off into prosperous noble families in order to maintain their safety and luxurious lifestyle, while at the same time maintaining their absolute loyalty to the crown. My younger sister Decessere Jenne Seyendraugher, the Fifth Princess of Albeyater, was married off to the Fourth Prince of the Dragon Empire Embryger.
Meanwhile, the First and Second Princesses were to be married off to the most prominent ducal family at the time of the coronation of the First Prince, Charmeill. My second oldest brother was forced into the Prime Minister role, and in the unfortunate case of the demise of the First Prince, he would be the one to ascend to the throne.
Funny, from an outsider’s point of view, one could go so far as to consider that there was a lot of infighting among us siblings, but the truth was far from that. Our backing and political power declared our social status and ability to move within the Kingdom. This sort of strength was approved of by both nobility and royalty. Assassination and the like were detested. Only the lowest of nobles could think of such disgraceful methods.
In other words, since there were so many of us, trying to kill us off one after another would have been too much of an effort and fruitless in the end. However, by shifting their favor and backing towards those with a good promise, the noble families would, in turn, have a lot to gain.
This favor and backing were counted by the number of the knights who served under us, the strength of our individual armies, and the strength of the individuals we could directly command. Thus, having someone with a Breakthrough under one of us royal siblings was more than enough to guarantee our worth within the borders of the Albeyater Kingdom.
The reason for this was in itself simple. The Breakthrough ones all had a very peculiar way of thinking that was different from ours, who were simply Awakened. They saw neither nobility nor common folk, only the worth of one’s strength. To put it simply, it was highly impossible to force one of them to think as the rotten nobles desired to. Thus, if I were to have one under my command as I did Brekkar, then my worth in both the political playing field and that of the military field would remain uncontested.
40 years ago, my army was leading the anti-human campaign. Because of this, my political power was as high as that of the Crown Prince. But now... I didn’t even have the confidence that I could order one of the guards here to escort me outside the palace and back safely. If they had nothing to do, maybe, but if one of my siblings gave them another command, they would disregard mine and listen to theirs.
Taking a deep breath, I let out a heavy sigh and then looked up at the ceiling.
“If this goes well... If I can convince Kataryna Greorg to follow me, I could somehow regain my power even if I would lose the Brekkar Army. Actually, I could most likely build another one with her might. As for Alkelios, if he really was able to steal the heart of my knight, of that Seryanna Draketerus, then his worth is also priceless... If I can have a human military adviser in the upcoming wars, then the dragons wouldn’t have to fear another incursion like the one 38 years ago... But will he follow me as well? If I free Seryanna, he should... But will he betray us? This is what I need to find out... If he is a worthless human, then I will assume that Seryanna just made a childish mistake. She has yet to Awaken yet, so it’s not impossible. All children make mistakes...” I said to myself and then let out another sigh.
Maybe it was bad to think of my friends as pawns in my game, but... at this point, it was either this or suffer the life of a political coin. My chastity and freedom would be exchanged for some sort of agreement between this kingdom and another or at best to improve the overall relationships with the Embryger Empire.
It wasn’t like they couldn’t use another one of my sisters, but I was the only one among them with the political and military ability to actually end up being of use to Albeyater, while at the same time have so little backing that no one would oppose marrying me off to a foreign prince.
Each and every one of us siblings had their own individual political games to deal with, and mine just ended up being on the losing end. But when I thought about the Family Tree of the Seyendraugher Royal Family and organized it by age, I got a splitting headache...
First, we had father and mother: The King Feryumstark, he never told me his actual age. Then there was Queen Elliessara, she gave me a long sermon when I inquired about her age.
Then, the tree continued with their children:
Crown Prince Charmeill, he was currently 324 years old;
Prime Minister Second Prince Elovius, he was currently 318 years old;
First Princess Natalia, she was currently 302 years old;
Third Prince Baluth, he was currently 280 years old;
Fourth Prince Navarius, he was currently 261 years old;
Second Princess Josephine, she was currently 250 years old;
Fifth Prince Dorrian, he was currently 231 years old;
Sixth Prince Zadangarok, he was currently 201 years old;
Seventh Prince Basphermus, he was currently 188 years old;
Adopted First Prince Coshun. Deceased. He would have been 180 years old this year;
Adopted Second Prince Kryogan, he was currently 162 years old;
Adopted Third Prince Mostrack, he was currently 160 years old;
Adopted Fourth Prince Pluvius, he was currently 140 years old;
Third Princess Elleyzabelle Sojourn, me, who I reached the beautiful age of 110 years;
Fourth Princess Mayelle Kristoff, she was currently 102 years old;
Fifth Princess Decessere Jenne, she was currently 94 years old;
Sixth Princess Noyelle Praz, she was currently 92 years old;
Seventh Princess Saluka Fer, she was currently 86 years old;
Eight Princess Constance, she was currently 80 years old;
Ninth Princess Jaquelinne, she was currently 62 years old;
Tenth Princess Corsonna, she was currently 58 years old;
Eleventh Princess Neptuneya, she was currently 34 years old;
And lastly, my cute twin siblings: Twelfth Princess Shezelle Eska and Eight Prince Ashernitz Kos, who were 12 years old.
But in this list, I did not count any of their spouses and thus extended families, children, etc.
When I think about it, this is more like a political win-win situation for everyone except me and Seryanna. If I was in father’s place, I wouldn’t hesitate to marry me off to one of the bachelor princes of the Empire to further solidify the relationship between us. From here to an official alliance, it wouldn’t take too long, and this would also solve the current problem of the aggressive human invasion campaigns. The Embryger Empire’s armies are nothing to joke about. I thought as I looked in my mind at the overall political map of our continent.
Our main enemy was located on the Human Continent, the Human Empire Akutan...