A Grand Design 51

Winter. The Kingdom Of Girdane. The City Of Oaklynn.

Shur Kee the monk, sir Percavelle Lé Dic, Lisell Maera the messenger, and Dalinvardél Tanith the elven spy are the last to enter the room. One of the antechambers off to the side of where court is held here in the palace of the king of Girdane.
They enter as the conversation is already underway. With Helbe the elven thief, along with Tamric Drubine the field commander and Arvelle Ganard the plainsman talking with the dukes of Dalmar, Girnath and Falosen. While some of the rebel dukes officers are off to one side.
Opposite to where lord Farque is sitting with Mira Reinholt the mage, and Dorc da Orc who is on the floor next to the undead warlord and the once powerful mage.
And as the four of them, Shur Kee, Percy, Lis and Dalin join them over on the otherside of the antechamber.
They hear that it isn't really a conversation as such, it's more of a rant from duke Hilloc of Dalmar. As it seems to be he's the one doing all the talking.
"He cannot go unpunished" says duke Hilloc of Dalmar, who continues on with "If i have to strangle him to death myself, then I'll do so".
"If you want, then you can" says Helbe the elven thief, who finally gets a word in, which stops the duke of Dalmar in the middle of his rant.
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel looks at duke Hilloc and tells him "No one's stopping you".
The highly talented elven magic user looks at the two other rebel dukes from the very west of the kingdom, and asks them "That's if you all agree to it of course".
Both duke Korros of Girnath, and duke Lombasil of Falosen frown. While the duke of Dalmar briefly scowls.
The elven masterthief who is a member of the personal council to the lord and ruler of the lands Farque.
Who spoke to duke Hilloc a little earlier this morning, after the duke of Dalmar found out from his younger sister, the lady Mera. What she had endured in her forced marriage with lord Sammis, the regent of Oaklynn.
Then says to the trio of rebel dukes from the very west of the kingdom "We're not going to tell you what to do with your prisoners".
The young elven noble who is the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, continues on with "Just that if you kill him, before at least part of the court can be convened, then how will the kingdom know what he's actually done?".
The trio of dukes remain silent as the elven master assassin, who is the envoy for the mercenary army from the lands Farque, who speaks for them, when they deal with those who have hired them, tells the dukes of Falosen, Girnath and Dalmar "You've got the enemy army heading back to the capital".
The elven princeling follows that with "If you want some sort of peace, or a semblance of order, you might want to explain what he did" the elven master archer continues with "Like manipulating the tension between the crown and your duchies, which led to the rebellion he wanted".
Helbe the elven thief briefly pauses, before he says "Spreading the plague in your duchies, having waagen attack people at random, then killing his own cousin the king, and the rest of the royal family, so that he could take the throne for himself".
The elven spellcaster from the island principality of Laerel continues on with "I'd think those of the crown's army, and the eastern dukes and lords heading back this way, will want to know that".
Both duke Lombasil of Falosen, and duke Korros of Girnath nod in agreement to that.
Then after a few moments, duke Hilloc of Dalmar, after he clenches his right hand into a fist, then relaxes that hand. He too nods in agreement, though he lets out a pent up breath.
"So, we're in agreement with that?" asks Tamric Drubine the field commander, who follows on from that with "Because if not, your war will continue, and you'll have to fight that lot coming back east".
The nobleborn teenager who hails from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin, continues with "And there's no way we can hold the city" he then adds "We'll have to leave, most likely back through the portal, and to attack them from behind again".
Tamric Drubine or Tam as he's more commonly called by the others in the group, briefly pauses before he continues with "And with all the eastern lords fighting alongside the crown's forces, it'll be a war of attrition throughout the rest of the winter most likely".
He looks at the three dukes from the very west of the kingdom, and asks them "Do any of you want that?".
Duke Lombasil slightly shakes his head no, as does duke Korros. And after duke Hilloc briefly winces, he shakes his head no too.
After glancing at the young field commander, then at his fellow councillor, Arvelle Ganard the plainsman.
Helbe the elven thief says to the trio of rebellious dukes "So, we'll see if we can reconvene the court in someway?" he follows that with "So the regent can be brought forth, where his crimes can be laid bare, before he's executed?".
"Sounds fair to me" says duke Korros of Girnath, duke Lombasil of Falosen nods in agreement, then after a moment, duke Hilloc of Dalmar nods too.
After a few moments of silence, the elven magic user asks the rebel dukes "Have you sorted out the other matter?".
"No" replies the duke of Dalmar, which is echoed by the other two dukes from the very west of the kingdom.
"Maybe one of you?" says Arvelle Ganard the plainsman as he speaks up for the first time.
"No!" is the reply in unison from the dukes of Falosen, Girnath and Dalmar.
Then after they sheepishly look at one another, duke Lombasil says "It will be someone else".
"Definitely not one of us" adds duke Korros, who gets a nod of agreement from his fellow dukes.
"Well, it's up to you" says prince Helbenthril Raendril, the young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel then adds "We definitely don't want to help you pick your new king".
Down in the dungeons beneath the palace of the king of Girdane. Lord Sammis the regent of Oaklynn, wakes up after having a midmorning nap.
The nobleman, who until two days ago, was the most important person in the kingdom of Girdane.
Who if his rather grand scheme had come to plan, would probably be the king of Girdane today.
But now he's languishing in the dank and gloomy dungeons beneath the palace of the king.
Lord Sammis, who still holds the office of the regent of Oaklynn, he's yet to be officially stripped of it.
Gets up off the pallet like bed he's been given to use. And he makes his way over to the front of his cell, which is barred, as is the cell door.
He looks across the way, to the cell opposite his. In that one, stands captain Kilmane. Who stands there watching the nobleman on the otherside of the torch lit corridor.
"How is he?" asks lord Sammis the regent of Oaklynn.
"Still not moving by the looks of it" is the reply of captain Kilmane, who sticks his head forward as possible, and says "What say you Sarmac?".
"He's still out" is the reply of the keeper Sarmac who is in the cell to the left of the one the captain is in.
"Hell, that's two whole days now" says the nobleman who is the only living member of the royal family that's ruled the kingdom of Girdane for a number of generations.
"A spell most likely" adds the regent of Oaklynn, who like the others down here in the dungeons beneath the palace. Have been taken prisoner by the enemy. The rebels from the three most western duchies in the kingdom.
Both captain Kilmane and the keeper Sarmac nod in agreement. For lying on the pallet like bed in the cell opposite to the one Sarmac is in.
The same cell, that's to the right of the one lord Sammis is in.
Lies the wizard Haric, who has not woken at all since they first woke after being captured two mornings ago.
"He's not dead is he?" asks the nobleman who is from further north here in the duchy of Marsin. It's a question he's asked a number of times since they woke up here in the dungeons beneath the palace of the king.
"No" says the former gamekeeper Sarmac, who has the best view of the portly wizard, who is fast asleep in his cell.
"I can see his chest rising and falling" adds the keeper Sarmac as he watches the sleeping spellcaster across the corridor from him.
"Damn" mutters regent Sammis under his breath, as he was hoping the wizard would of woken by now. And with him awake, they would find away to escape the dungeons beneath the palace of the king, here in the center of the capital city of the kingdom of Girdane.
But the fairly powerful spellcaster has been unconscious since they were taken prisoner two mornings ago.
Lord Sammis looks across the corridor to captain Kilmane, who just shrugs his shoulders when he sees the regent of Oaklynn look his way again.
"We're never getting out" states the captain who is the regent's most trusted officers "They won't let us slip through their fingers" adds captain Kilmane.
Who just over two days ago, just before dawn that particularly cold winter's morning.
Never would of thought he'd been in the dungeons beneath the palace of the king later that morning.
Where he and the others taken prisoner with him, have been held for the last two days.
Both the captain and the regent are about to say something else. When they, along with the keeper Sarmac hear the main door to section of the dungeon they're in, open up.
"Visitors" quietly says captain Kilmane, the regent Sammis nods in agreement, then they along with Sarmac step back from the front of their cells.
They hear people approaching, and in the torch lit corridor their cells are in. A trio walk into view. One looks to be an elf in a white hooded cloak. Another is a young man in half plate armour, which has a black surcoat over the breastplate. And the third is a tall plainsman with a shaved head. Who has a black tabbard on over his leather armoured jacket.
The three of them look at the four prisoners for a few moments, with the elf paying attention to the unconscious wizard Haric.
Then it's the young man in the half plate armour, a teenager really, who speaks as he stands between the cells of captain Kilmane and lord Sammis the regent of Oaklynn.
"Introductions aren't necessary" says Tamric Drubine the field commander as he looks at lord Sammis "What i will say, is that we're part of the mercenary army that the dukes of Dalmar, Girnath and Falosen hired to fight against you" adds the nobleborn teenager originally from the feudal kingdom of Sarcrin.
After checking that his sustained sleep spell is still working on the wizard Haric, Helbe the elven thief steps forward next to field commander Drubine, and says "You're prisoners of the dukes Lombasil, Korros and Hilloc".
The young elven noble from the island principality of Laerel looks at lord Sammis when he says that last name.
"Who have decided to keep you all alive for a while longer" continues the highly talented elven magic user, who follows that with "Until court is conveyed, and you divulge your crimes to the lords and ladies, and dukes of the kingdom".
Seeing an opportunity, lord Sammis the regent of Oaklynn speaks up and says "That's hardly likely to happen" he continues with "The eastern dukes and lords, and a few of the central ones are at war with those western rebels" he then adds "And i doubt they and the rest of the crown's forces have been defeated in battle".
"Who said we had to defeat them?" asks the elven masterthief, who after a brief pause, continues with "I'm pretty sure wwe'll come to an arrangement with them" followed by "I know you're thinking that's pretty unlikely, but it isn't as unlikely as say, Oaklynn falling to us in a morning when you thought we were over a hundred miles away to west".
Both lord Sammis and captain Kilmane wince at that reminder, while the keeper Sarmac sourly smiles at hearing it.
The regent of Oaklynn who has no intention of going before court and admitting to the nobility of the kingdom what he's done, says "And if we refuse?".
After slightly snorting in derision, Arvelle Ganard the plainsman says "You won't" followed by "You'll admit to everything you've planned over the last handful of years" he then adds "Besides a lot of it's already public knowledge here in the city, as over the last couple of days, we've spread the information of what you've done".
Lord Sammis grimaces when he hears that. Then in the cell across from him, captain Kilmane asks their captors "And what will happen to us then?".
"Well that's pretty obvious" replies Tamric Drubine the field commander, next to him, Helbe the elven thief nods his hooded head, and he looks at the regent of Oaklynn as he says "The dukes of Falosen, Girnath and Dalmar will have you executed".
The young elven noble who is the grandson of the ruling prince of Laerel, then adds after a brief pause "Though that's after they decide who'll be the new king of Girdane, they're still working on that".
Lord Sammis the regent of Oaklynn bitterly smiles when he hears that, as it finally sinks in that his grand design of the last few years has failed . . . . . .