The Journey 57.

Autumn. The City Of Fanile.

Prince Waniq, the crown prince of Terrindim. Sits upon the steps out infront of the main keep, here in the walled off section of the Royal Palace of Terrindim.
Not quite believing what's happened this morning, on what's a cold autumn day here in the capital city Fanile.
The crown prince looks down the steps to where the body of his brother, prince Sormis lies.
His brother who he killed with a rather lucky throw of a dagger, that got Sormis in the neck.
Prince Waniq didn't expect to kill anyone today when he woke up this morning. Let alone his brother Sormis.
The crown prince of Terrindim shakes his head in disbelief as he watches some of the royal guards cover his brother's body with some cloaks.
Then pick him up, and carry his body up the steps, and into the main keep, of what's called the real palace.
As they go by him about ten yards to the right, prince Waniq sees his dead brother's arm hanging down as he's carried up the steps.
The crown prince of Terrindim looks at the lifeless arm of his brother, who he killed.
Prince Waniq, who effectively leads the Balford faction. Has never actually killed anyone before. And though he did badly wound one of those who attacked him, here on the steps infront of the main keep.
He doesn't know what to make of what he's feeling at the moment. Knowing that he's killed for the first time in his life. And the person he killed was his brother Sormis.
Well, he was doing his best to kill you Waniq, prince Waniq thinks to himself as he sits here on the long, wide set of steps infront of the main keep, here in the inner sanctums of the Royal Palace of Terrindim.
Well his henchmen were doing their best to kill you, the crown prince dryly thinks to himself, who figures his brother Sormis would of joined in if he saw an opportunity to kill his older brother.
Prince Waniq who basically leads the Balford faction, one of the two largest and most influential factions in the kingdom of Terrindim.
Looks away to his left out into the massive courtyard, here in what's referred to as the real palace.
To where his mother's headless body still lies. Queen Pania's head lies not that far from the body.
And from even where he sits on the steps, the crown prince can see the startled look upon the face of his dead mother, queen Pania.
Who until a little while ago, led the other largest, and most influential faction in the kingdom.
The Golmard faction, which is at war with the Balford faction. Fighting over the right to have a family of wild dragon egg hunters join them.
With mother dead, we've won the war then, i guess? Waniq, the crown prince of Terrindim thinks to himself, who then shrugs his shoulders as he doesn't know what to think when it comes to the current state of the war with his faction, against the Golmard faction, who are now without a leader.
Prince Waniq sees that no one has bothered to see to his mother's dead body. Even though the other wounded and dead either have been, or are being taken away.
The crown prince is just glad his daughter Sarsha was ushered into one of the other keeps by his wife Kelriss.
Shielded by a large group of king's guards, so that the young girl couldn't see any of the dead bodies lying across the steps infront of the main keep, and out in the massive courtyard too.
Someone sits down next to the crown prince, and groans in exaggeration.
Slightly grinning, crown prince Waniq asks "How's uncle?".
"Father's fine" is the reply from prince Craefar, the younger cousin of the crown prince of Terrindim.
"He's being healed now" adds the young royal cousin, who is a fleet admiral in the Balford faction.
"He near knocked himself out when he jumped down into them head first" adds prince Craefar, who follows that in a dry tone with "The crazy bastard".
Which gets a chuckle from prince Waniq, who then laughs when his cousin Craefar adds "And he's bloody well sober of all things too".
The crown prince nods, then he and his cousin fall silent. And in their silence, the two of them look away to the left along the set of steps infront of the main keep, here in the walled off section of the Royal Palace of Terrindim.
Prince Waniq sees his youngest brother prince Dalvin, along with his young bride.
The youngest of king Crassil's and queen Pania's offspring. And the crown prince's only surviving sibling.
Is being helped up the steps, to head inside the main keep by a couple of royal guards, after prince Dalvin was healed by spellcraft.
If prince Waniq had any doubts in killing his brother Sormis. They quickly disappear as he watches his youngest brother Dalvin. Who was struck down, and almost killed by a sword wielded by their brother Sormis.
The crown prince slightly nods his head, and grins as his teenage brother looks his way, and waves out to him.
Prince Waniq watches as his last surviving sibling is helped inside the main keep.
Then the head of the Balford faction looks further along the long, wide set of steps to where his advisor, lord Ganulf stands with a number of people.
The crown prince of Terrindim wonders what they're talking about. As the person lord Ganulf is speaking to, is lady Kallie, the cousin of the lord of Highsun, who hates her older cousin Ganulf.
As he wraps a linen cloth bandage around his cousin Kallie's right arm, lord Ganulf doesn't say a word.
He only does so, when she moves to get a look at her husband prince Simeon.
"Keep still damn it" says lord Ganulf, followed by "He's fine, Gilbane is seeing to him".
The lady Kallie glares at her cousin, who like her is from the northern province of Hanamede.
The noblewoman stays silent, and keeps still, so that her cousin can continue to wrap the bandage around her cut arm.
"There, that's it" says the lord of Highsun after he's tied the bandage off.
"Gilbane will see to you after he's finished with your husband" quietly says lord Ganulf, who is the advisor to crown prince Waniq.
The lady Kallie nods, then says "Thanks". It's a begrudging sounding thanks. But it's a thanks all the same. And the nobleman from the mountainous north of the kingdom is content with that. Considering his cousin Kallie hates him. Who wouldn't of cared if he had been killed this morning in the fighting, here outside the main keep in the inner sanctums of the royal palace.
The advisor to crown prince Waniq looks down into the massive courtyard to where the queen's headless body lies.
"Hell" mutters the lord of the city of Highsun.
"That's for sure" dryly says the lady Kallie as she too looks down to where the body of queen Pania lies.
The queen killed by lady Kallie's father inlaw, prince Fallins.
Lord Ganulf looks sideways at his cousin, who is the representative of the Salmain faction here in the capital Fanile.
And as she slightly smiles as she watches her husband prince Simeon sit up with the aid of sir Gilbane the sorcerer.
The nobleman from the northern province of Hanamede quietly says to his cousin who is a few years younger than him "You know with the queen dead, my prince and our faction has technically won the war against the Golmard faction".
The noblewoman from the mountainous north of the kingdom turns and with a raised eyebrow looks at her cousin, and says "And?".
"That means my prince's faction is only at war with our family's one" states the advisor to the crown prince of Terrindim.
"I'm well aware of that" dryly says the lady Kallie, who was a widow until she met and married prince Simeon, who is a good nine years younger than her.
"It doesn't have to be that way" quietly says lord Ganulf, who shakes his head at sir Gilbane, signaling him to wait, as the sorcerer was about to get up and attend to the wound on the right arm of the lady Kallie.
After a few moments of silence, the noblewoman who speaks for the  Salmain faction at court, quietly says "What do you suggest?".
The lord of the city of Highsun, the largest and most important city in the north of Terrindim. A city he has not been back to in over three years.
Quietly tells his cousin Kallie what he thinks their factions should do. Essentially a truce, as the Salmain faction only declared war upon the Balford faction for the simple reason they wanted Ganulf either killed or humiliated, preferably both.
The nobleman who is a famous duelist waits for his cousin to say something about his offer.
And when she remains silent, he quietly tells her "You can tell my father and step mother that I'll give up the lordship of Highsun if it makes them feel better".
As lord Ganulf knows it's his father, step mother, and older siblings who make all the major decisions for the Salmain faction.
And that his younger siblings and cousins, with the exception of Kallie, still like and respect him. Even though their factions are at war.
The wife of prince Simeon looks at her cousin Ganulf in disbelief, before she's finally able to quietly say "Give up Highsun?".
The advisor to prince Waniq nods his head yes. He's not too fussed at losing the lordship of the northern city of Highsun.
He hasn't been back in three years, and he doesn't intend on going back anytime soon.
And the only reason he kept onto the title of the lord of the city of Highsun, was to annoy to his father, step mother, and older siblings.
He knows it's petty, but he couldn't care less. As at least half of his own family don't like or hate him to begin with. He might as well get them to hate him even more.
Now he's made a more than generous offer to them. He just doesn't know if they'll accept it.
Lord Ganulf waits awhile, and finally his cousin Kallie quietly replies to his offer with "A generous offer" followed by "We'll find out if they'll accept".
"I hope they do" quietly says the famous duelist, who continues in a slightly dry tone with "But you never know with our family".
"That's for sure" murmurs the lady Kallie as she voices her thoughts.
Then the representative of the Salmain faction here in the capital faintly smiles as her cousin Ganulf dryly tells her "Least our family isn't as messed up as the one you married into".
"That's for damn sure" dryly says the wife of prince Sormis.
As she and her cousin the duelist, watch her father inlaw prince Fallins, who has just spoken to his brother, king Crassil of Terrindim. Along with the royal dragons, the twins Blackflame and Whitefire.
Make his way back across the vast courtyard not even looking at the queen's headless body as he passes nearby it on his way back to the main keep, here in the inner sanctums of the Royal Palace of Terrindim.
The youngest of the three royal brothers when he gets to the steps infront of the main keep, heads up to where his son Simeon and daughter inlaw Kallie are, as he wants to have a word with them.
As lord Ganulf along with sir Gilbane the sorcerer stand to one side, and listen to the conversation between prince Fallins, his son and daughter inlaw.
The lord of Highsun wonders what his aide and offsider are up to out beyond the walls of the so called real palace.
As he does, the famous duelist looks in the other direction along the steps. And spots prince Waniq, the crown prince of Terrindim, and prince Craefar sitting on the steps, quietly talking as they look this way.
"Wonder what they're chatting about?" quietly asks prince Craefar the fleet admiral in the Balford family.
"We'll soon find out i guess" is the quiet reply of crown prince Waniq, who continues with "Ganulf is over there, and will tell us" as the two of them look to their left along the steps.
The two of them fall silent, as they see someone is finally attending to queen Pania's body.
As a handful of royal guards are seeing to it, gathering the head, and wrapping it at the headless body in sheets and blankets they've got from one of the nearby broach towers.
As he watches his mother's body being wrapped up, prince Waniq nods when next to him, his cousin Craefar quietly says "Did we win the war then?".
"Pretty much" quietly says the crown prince of Terrindim, who after a pause adds "I think?".
Prince Waniq who essentially leads the Balford faction continues with "We'll only truly find out when that family out west in Halvarc decides to join the faction".
The young fleet admiral in the Balford faction nods in agreement, then the younger of the two cousins looks away to their left again, and quietly says to the crown prince "Uncle's coming this way".
"No need to get up" says prince Fallins a few moments later as he joins the two of them.
As the youngest of the royal brothers remains standing, he looks at his two nephews sitting on the steps, and asks them "How's that brother of mine?" followed by "I saw you lot in the thick of the fighting, and Pal was always a bit of a crazy bugger in battle".
"Father's doing fine" says prince Craefar, who nods back in the direction of the main keep, as he continues with "He's inside, resting after being healed by a spellcaster".
The young fleet admiral in the Balford faction who is the youngest offspring of prince Paldim dryly says "He jumped down onto a bunch of them, head first".
Prince Fallins laughs, then says "Sounds like something Pal would do".
After shaking his head at the antics of his brother Paldim, prince Fallins looks at his other nephew, prince Waniq who asks him "What will you do now uncle?".
"I'll return back home to Cramoor" is the reply of the most famous swordsman in the kingdom, who continues with "I've asked Simeon and his wife Kallie to move down south" followed by "Hopefully they accept, it will be good if they got away from the capital".
Prince Waniq nods in agreement with that, then after he looks to the keep that his wife and daughter are in, his daughter who will be the next person on the throne of Terrindim.
The crown prince quietly says "I'll make sure things will no longer get out of control with our family uncle".
In response to prince Fallins asking him "And what will you do now Niq?" . . . . . .