“Well, that was an unfortunate outcome” Duncan said to himself glumly as he read a report from one of his scouts. Earlier in the week he had gotten a message that a young girl located in the isolated village of Mayhill, had exhibited magical abilities. Unfortunately the residents of the village, being both uneducated and ignorant to the arcane arts reacted as one would expect; violently. Duncan had sent soldiers to pacify the villagers and take the girl to the safety of the mages circle. However the soldiers were unable to arrive in time and as a result, the girl was burnt at the stake. Duncan let out a heavy sigh and he sat back in his chair. The head advisors chambers was a reasonably sized stone room located right next to the High council room. There was various furniture within the room, all of which of high quality. This included a large wooden bed with red cotton sheets, and a rectangular table which Duncan was currently sitting at. The room also had a balcony which looked out onto the city of Nyhem. A knock on the door made Duncan sit back up before replying.

“Come in”. The door slowly opened as Alenius made her way into the room.

“As you requested, Lord Charles Du Paraquette is here to see you”

“Very good please send him in” Duncan said before lowering his voice “and guard the door until the meeting is over, I don’t want anyone eavesdropping on this”. Alenius nodded before heading back out through the door. Shortly after she left Charles Du Paraquette walked in. Charles was a thin man with short brown hair and a well-trimmed beard; he often carried a serious expression on his face and now was no exception.

“Lord-regent” Charles said as he greeted Duncan. He spoke in a formal manner with little emotion in his voice. Yet even with the lack of emotion there was still a slight sense of severity in his voice.

“Greetings Lord Charles. Please take a seat” Duncan said as he signalled to the chair on the other side of the table. As Charles made his way over to the seat Duncan reach over to a bottle of wine that was already on the desk “Could I offer you some wine? It has just arrived in from Orog” Duncan offered. Charles looked at the wine bottle, before looking back to Duncan to reply.

“No, if this meeting is as important as I think it is, then I choose to do it with a clear head”.

“And exactly how important do you think this meeting is exactly”? Duncan asked while pouring the wine into a glass goblet for himself. Duncan spoke in a polite and formal manner, but there was also a certain slyness in his voice. 

“Let’s not waste time with the political formalities; I know why you have invited me here. You have invited me because you want the Du Paraquette’s to support your claim to the throne”. Charles said harshly. “Am I correct”? Despite the harshness of Charles voice, Duncan’s face remained as calm and confident as it was before.
“That would be one of the reasons”. Duncan said as he took a sip from his goblet.

“And what would be the other reason”? Charles said, though his voice was still severe, he seemed less confident than before; it was clear from Duncan’s smug demeanour that he had some kind of leverage to use against him. 

“This is the other reason” Duncan said as he picked up a scroll from the table. “You see, I started to notice that large sums of money that was originally meant to go to the royal treasury was going missing. So I had several of my agents investigate the matter. Sure enough they found the source of the corruption; it appears that your father is diverting funds meant for the crown into his own private bank. If this information were to get out then he would be arrested and the Du Paraquette’s name would be greatly sullied”. Charles eyes filled with fury as he venomously stared at Duncan.

“So this is your plan then” He spat “blackmail us for our support” Even now Duncan’s face and tone did not change.

“Certainly not. This is not blackmail, this is an offer” Duncan smiled. Charles raised an eyebrow and relaxed, his eyes, which only a moment ago were filled with anger and rage, were now filled with curiosity.

“I’m listening”

“It is no secret that you do not see eye to eye with your parents. You believe them to be incompetent and I am in full agreement with you. Therefore I offer you these documents that evident your father’s guilt, so you can present them to the royal court. With a few alterations made to these your mother could also be implemented in this as well. As a result they will both be arrested and tried for treason and you will be the new ruler of Sypius Plains. Also considering that you will be the one to reveal these documents, you will be loved by the common people of Sypius Plains for removing the rulers they despite, and respected by the nobles for your loyalty to the crown”. Duncan paused for a moment before continuing. “In exchange for these documents I get the full support of the Du Paraquette’s and a competent ally”. Charles was silent for a while as he considered the proposal made. The silence continued for a full five minutes before Charles finally answered.

“I have made my decision” Charles said with a smile as he placed out his hand, to which Duncan handed the scroll to.