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[sub][color=DDB775]Mention:[/color] [@CitrusArms] Stratya [@Lava Alckon] Farim [@Chrys] Amira [@Tae] Ranya [@Oso] Cassius [@SilverSpring] Violet/Ariella [@AuthenticTomb] Sylvia [@HylianRose] Nora [@Potter] Kira[/sub]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/sPIxd99.png[/img][/center]

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[hider=FLASHBACK][center][color=red][h1]FLASHBACK[/h1][/color]
[/center]

The meeting place was far enough from the palace that the lights of Sorian could no longer be seen through the trees. Only the moon marked the path,  and even the moon's pale light seemed hesitant to touch the place where King Edin Danrose waited. He had come with four guards, then ordered them to remain behind.

Edin stood in a dark cloak with his hands clasped behind his back, his crown absent for once. He had been pacing for some time before Marek arrived, though he stopped the instant he heard movement behind him.

Marek Delronzo emerged between the trees without haste, dressed too finely for the hour. He did not bow deeply, but he did offer the king the exact amount of respect needed to remind him of what he wanted to.

Edin’s eyes narrowed. [color=DDB775]“You took your time.”[/color]

[color=9e0b0f]“I came when the night was ready for discretion,”[/color] Marek replied, his voice smooth as always. [color=9e0b0f]“Had I come sooner, Your Majesty, you would have called that carelessness.”[/color]

[color=DDB775]“Do not play with me tonight.”[/color] Edin retorted. [color=DDB775]“I have a queen in chains, an heir who has decided to display his spine at the worst possible hour, and a court that smells weakness. I asked you here because I require answers.”[/color]

Marek’s expression did not change. [color=9e0b0f]“Then ask plainly.”[/color]

Edin turned back to him, his arrogance rising in his chest. It was one thing to command armies, councils, clergy, meetings... It was another to ask a monster whether his wife could be saved.

[color=DDB775]“Can anything be done about Alibeth?”[/color]

The forest fell into quiet, and Edin hated the pause and more so its implication that Marek had already known this would be asked.

[color=9e0b0f]“Yes,”[/color] Marek said at last. [color=9e0b0f]“Something can be done. But not what you are hoping.”[/color] Marek took a slow step closer. [color=9e0b0f]“She must perish.”[/color]

Edin’s face hardened at once. [color=DDB775]“She is my wife. Is there not another option? Can't... you do something with that magic of yours?”[/color]

[color=9e0b0f]“She is your liability.”[/color]

Edin’s hand twitched at his side, but Marek continued before the anger could become an interruption. [color=9e0b0f]“Your Majesty, you are not merely a husband in mourning or a king with wounded pride. You are the face of a dynasty that has survived because the people believe it was made necessary by the gods... "[/color] Marek raised his chin, his eyes darkening, [color=9e0b0f]“You understand this better than most men who sit upon thrones. [i]Caesonia does not obey you because it loves you[/i].”[/color]

Marek watched the emotions swim in the King's blue, tired eyes, even as he stood beneath the cloak of the darkness. [color=9e0b0f]“If Alibeth remains visibly protected by you, then every sermon spoken against corruption and magic becomes a jest... Every hunter loses authority. Every household will ask why the queen was spared when their sons, sisters, and neighbors were not. If you save her publicly, you do not appear merciful. [i]You appear treasonous[/i]... And you already knew that, King... Edin... Danrose...”[/color]

Edin looked away again, staring into the trees. [color=DDB775]“Wulfric should have never betrayed us.”[/color]

Marek tilted his head slightly. [color=9e0b0f]“He is intelligent enough to understand symbols. He has placed himself on the side of necessity, not sentiment. To the court, that will look like strength. To the Church, it will look like discipline. To the nobles, it will look like succession.”[/color]

Edin’s expression became still in a way that revealed more than rage ever could. [color=DDB775]“He is my son.”[/color]

[color=9e0b0f]“Yes,”[/color] Marek said. [color=9e0b0f]“That is why it is dangerous.”[/color]

The king breathed through his nose before he spoke again. [color=DDB775]“There is another matter...I was told of Callum’s aura.”[/color] Edin watched Marek closely now. [color=DDB775]“I was told he is using magic.”[/color]

Marek could hardly hide the pleasure in his gaze. [color=9e0b0f]“Yes.”[/color]

Edin’s voice sharpened. [color=DDB775]“You knew.”[/color]

[color=9e0b0f]“Of course.”[/color]

[color=DDB775]“And you said nothing?”[/color]

[color=9e0b0f]“I waited to see whether he would come to the truth on his own. He did.”[/color]

Edin’s mouth parted slightly, then closed. [color=DDB775]“Explain yourself.”[/color]

Marek’s gaze moved briefly past him. [color=9e0b0f]“Prince Callum sought me, Your Majesty. Not in the crude way a frightened boy seeks rescue, but with the instincts of someone who has begun to understand that his father’s house has no place for what he is becoming. He holds resentment against you. He wishes your death.”[/color]

Edin’s face darkened. [color=DDB775]“Resentment? [i]My death[/i]?”[/color]

Meanwhile, Marek’s face softened. [color=9e0b0f]“Callum is not Wulfric... He wishes to be loved, and boys who wish to be loved become very easy to turn against the parent who has denied them what they require.”[/color]

Edin swallowed. [color=DDB775]“You are suggesting he means to undermine me.”[/color]

[color=9e0b0f]“I am saying he already has, in his heart. Action is merely the final courtesy.”[/color]

The King's brows furrowed. He had always known Callum was his worst child; he had always known he was capable of evil. He wore the same black hair as his violent father after all... But hearing that Callum was plotting against his life was a blade into his back he had not expected.

[color=DDB775]“What would you have me do?”[/color] Edin finally asked.

Marek stepped closer. His voice lowered intimately. [color=9e0b0f]“Give him to me.”[/color]

Edin stared at him.

[color=9e0b0f]“Send him where he can be protected from hunters, from Wulfric’s influence, from the Church’s appetite, and from himself Let me teach him restraint before someone else teaches him rebellion.”[/color]

[color=DDB775]“And why should I believe you would protect him?”[/color]

Marek smiled faintly. [color=9e0b0f]“Because if they find out the children your wife bore you wield magic as well, then who is to say the proper decision will not be to eliminate them all... ”[/color]

Edin’s eyes narrowed, but he did not reject it.

After a pause, Marek added, [color=9e0b0f]“You have many enemies tonight. You cannot hold all of them in your hands without something breaking.”[/color]

[color=9e0b0f]“Let Alibeth go,”[/color] Marek said softly. [color=9e0b0f]“Let the kingdom see that you chose Caesonia over your wife. Give Callum to me before he becomes another weapon pointed at your throne. Then, when morning comes, you will not look like a man who lost control.”[/color]

He paused, his smile almost tender.[color=9e0b0f]“You will look like a king who made necessary sacrifices.”[/color]

Edin stood very still. For a while, he said nothing. [color=DDB775]“If I do this,”[/color] he said, [color=DDB775]“Callum is not to be harmed.”[/color]

[color=9e0b0f]“Of course.”[/color]

[color=DDB775]“And Alibeth’s end will serve my crown, no one else.”[/color]

[i][color=9e0b0f]“It will serve whoever writes it best.”[/color][/i]

[/hider]


Alibeth's burning body was haunting Edin.  It would not leave his vision no matter where he looked.

The image returned each time the room quieted for even a second. Edin had not looked toward his sons after taking his seat, nor had he so much as turned his head. He had simply sat straighter.

Chin raised. Spine rigid. Face emptied of anything human enough to be read.

If he looked affected, they would smell weakness. If he looked grieved, they would start asking themselves whether there had been something to grieve. So he gave them nothing. 

[color=peru]“My Liege.”[/color]

Edin's attention fell on the [color=peru]Lady Knight[/color], whom his wife had insisted on hiring. He found it hard to hide his disgust as he let his eyes wander over her. He knew her ability preceded her gender. He knew her strength. But at the end of the day, she was only a woman, even if a pretty one. He had never bothered to remember her name, but he did remember the numerous times she had spoken out of turn, as her kind often did when given too much opportunity.

[color=peru]“Trruly, the rrealm is guided tae peace underr yerr diligen’ ‘and. The faverr o’ t’ Gods trruly finds us thrrough [i]you[/i], Yerr Majesty.”[/color]

[color=DDB775]“Hm."[/color] Edin inclined his head as he regarded her, his expression unchanged.

[color=peru]“I am thankful ferr t’ opporrtuni’y tae parrtake of the grreat boun’y afforrded us by t’ Gods and yerr rrule. May prrosperri’y rreign o’er t’ Kingdom. Gods bless Caesonia.”[/color]

For a moment, he only looked at her. [color=DDB775]"...And may they bless you."[/color]

Edin’s mind drifted back to Alibeth for only a moment, pulled there by the silence at his flank and the absence that seemed louder than any music in the room. There was a hollowness in him now, an unpleasant void, and he wanted it gone. The church and his advisors had already encouraged him to make use of this moment, to take the night for what it was and begin setting his eyes upon a young, virtuous queen who could symbolize renewal, stability, and a brighter future for the kingdom. 

It was the sensible thing to do. The [i]necessary[/i] thing. Better to fill the emptiness quickly than allow it to sit long enough to become grief.

So his attention shifted to the next woman who entered the ballroom.

 [color=1a7b30][b]"Shehzadi Amira Kadir of Alidasht,"[/b][/color] 

[color=#00AEEF]A young woman[/color] stepped into the ballroom, and Edin knew at once that this must have been her first season in Caesonia. He did not recognize her, and he would have remembered a beauty like this. His gaze settled on her without effort. She was lovely in a way that demanded notice, radiant, with a beaming smile that seemed untouched by the darkness that had settled over his own court. That smile caught him more than anything else. It was not often anyone smiled so openly in his household anymore. Not even Anastasia.

Then his attention lowered, and he took in the rest of her.

The [color=#00AEEF]girl[/color] wore aqua, adorned in silks and glittering jewels that framed rather than concealed. There was no mistaking that her attire revealed more skin than was usually smiled upon in Caesonia. 

Her midriff was bare, and though Edin knew well enough what many in the room would think of it, he found he could not share their disapproval. If anything, it only made her more striking.  With a grace and poise he had not yet come to associate with Alidasht, the beauty approached the throne and dipped into a curtsy.

[color=00aeef]"Blessings to Caseonia and their king."[/color]

Edin’s smile bloomed at once, and he inclined his head with enough grace to make the gesture feel generous.

[color=DDB775]“And blessings upon Alidasht, Shehzadi Amira Kadir.”[/color]

His gaze lingered on her a moment longer than courtly necessity required, though his voice remained smooth. [color=DDB775]“Caesonia is honored by your presence. Your father sends us many treasures in his court, it seems, but I daresay he has sent none brighter than you.”[/color]

A soft murmur passed through the nearby nobles, though Edin paid it no mind. His attention remained upon the young woman before him, his smile widening. [color=DDB775]“I trust Sorian will treat you kindly during your stay. Should it fail to do so, you need only bring the matter before me.”[/color]

He gestured toward the ballroom, as if offering her the whole glittering evening. [color=DDB775]“For tonight, be welcome beneath my roof. May Caesonia prove worthy of so radiant a guest.”[/color]

It was not long before another Alidasht royal graced him with his presence: [color=D2691E]the Grand Vizier’s son[/color], the very one who had been so attentively doting upon his daughter. If Edin recalled correctly, [color=gold]the Grand Vizier[/color] himself had also taken some interest in Anastasia. The thought brought him a flicker of much-needed amusement, enough that even as Farim began buttering him up, the king let out an unexpected chuckle.

[color=D2691E]”...I hope that during such trying times, a gift such as this will provide goodwill on behalf of myself and my country.”[/color] Farim flicked his hand toward the still-panting retainers, who immediately sprang to life. They lifted the cloth with care, revealing Farim’s [url=https://i.imgur.com/0Difc5S.png]gift[/url]. [color=D2691E]”I had some artisans craft it soon after our arrival. It is a symbol of the might of your rule and the opulence that so naturally clings to the name Danrose.”[/color]

Beneath the cloth rested a lion wrought in gold and amber crystal. The creature reclined upon an ornate golden base, its emerald eyes bright, giving the impression that it had been frozen mid-breath rather than merely sculpted. Jewels were set along the pedestal. It was extravagant, almost shamelessly so, and therefore perfectly suited to the throne it had been offered before.

A servant carefully brought the gift forward, presenting it so Edin could inspect it more closely. His eyes swept over the lion design, taking in the craftsmanship, the symbolism, and, most importantly, the flattery. At last, his smile widened with genuine satisfaction.

[color=DDB775]“A fine piece.”[/color] Edin’s voice carried with warm approval. [color=DDB775]“A lion of fire and gold. I shall keep it near, then, as a reminder of strength, dignity, and the goodwill between our courts. Thank you, Shehzade.”[/color]

[color=D2691E]”...But I shall not take up much more of your time, Your Majesty. May the night treat you well, and thanks once again for being the glorious host that you are.”[/color]

Edin gave a pleased incline of his head, clearly in no hurry to discourage such well-placed praise. [color=DDB775]“You honor me with your generosity and your manners both. May the evening treat you just as kindly, [color=D2691E]Shehzade Farim[/color].”[/color]

Then Edin noticed Anastasia. He had only seemed occupied with the golden lion in his hands, his thumb tracing the edge of its jeweled base as the herald announced his daughter, but his eyes had lifted the moment Anastasia entered. 

She looked breakable, and Edin despised that the court could see it. 

His gaze followed the small betrayals of her face: the delayed smile, the glance toward Alibeth’s empty place, the flicker of sickness when her eyes found Callum’s chair. When she turned away from the dais and crossed the room toward Farim instead, his grip on the figurine tightened once. 

A daughter seeking comfort from another on a night like this should have angered him, and perhaps it did, but the king in him measured the room faster than the father could bleed. But with some thought, Edin decided this was best, rather than letting the court watch her come apart beside him. So he said nothing. He only looked on, expression calm, and allowed the room to believe he had permitted it.

He spent the next stretch of the evening watching the ballroom with a widower’s emptiness, though he would not have called it grief. 

To Edin, grief was too humble a word. It asked a man to kneel before loss, and Edin Danrose had knelt before nothing in his life.

So he looked instead. Another Alidasht princess arrived in blue: [color=#6B8E23]Ranya[/color], escorted by the Grand Vizier himself. A striking creature, certainly, with a presence that belonged in a jeweled shrine, but she crossed the room toward the [color=#F09A99]red-haired Varian princess [/color] without greeting him, so Edin’s interest cooled. He had heard enough rumors of that princess’s wild nature to know she would not do either. 

[color=#D2B48C]A brunette[/color] soon drew his eye as well, elegant enough to be worth noticing, though he knew too little of the Varian woman to linger on the thought. Then [color=#6495ED]came another with dark curly hair[/color], who offered him a brief curtsy with pleasing manners, but again, there was not enough he knew of the woman to judge. 

None of them had greeted him with the shining grace [color=#00AEEF]Amira[/color] had. None had looked at him with that sweet, open reverence that filled the hollow place in his chest for even a passing second. 

[color=#7D7FDB]Another Varian princess entered with too much confidence in her step[/color], and Edin dismissed her almost at once. Likely, another spirited girl convinced her charm was a virtue. 

[color=#6A5ACD]Ariella[/color] Edwards was also present with a new guard, it seemed. She was easily one of Caesonia’s most beautiful noblewomen, perhaps even the most beautiful in the room, but Edin had not forgotten the trouble she had caused with that painting. Beauty did not erase insolence. Still, the longer he looked at her, the more he wondered if perhaps she was not beyond correction. With proper guidance, firmer boundaries, and the right hand shaping her, Ariella Edwards might yet become something admirable rather than troublesome.

Then the Damiens were also present. The [color=#B0C4DE]o[/color][color=#B0B2C9]f[/color][color=#B0A0B4]f[/color][color=#B08E9F]s[/color][color=#B07C8A]p[/color][color=#B16A75]r[/color][color=#B15860]i[/color][color=#B1464B]n[/color][color=#B13436]g[/color] did not approach him immediately, which Edin noticed, filed away, and did not forgive. Count Calbert Damien and Countess Liliane Damien, however, knew better. 

He watched as the pair approached.[/color]