New Irem The Fortress
Three hours later 7 PM Reziels rooms
When it crumbled under its own weight, the roots of the Iremian Empire dated back to almost three thousands years, even if the Empire itself had been existing only for the last for one thousand eight hundreds and eighty two years. Could have been eighty nine, now, if only
During its whole existence, it had been ruled by a single bloodline, whose last heir was now being Lachdanan Uth Reiser
Emperor of an Empire which was no more. A thing that didnt happen so often, the royal family had survived its own Empire
and so had the symbols of their power. The crown, the globe, the purple mantle
everything had been hidden from the Ziganians fury when they had stormed the ancient capital. So had the two swords. The Blade
and the Protectors sword. The weapon which had been traditionally entrusted to the bulwark of the Empire. A general, a leader, a commander
the man the Empire itself had relied onto for its own safety. In a number of cases, the reigning Uth Reiser had brought it, but starting from some four hundred years before, it had been traditionally entrusted to someone who didnt belong to the ruling family. In eleven cases and in the last five ones, the sword had been given to the standing Reziel to be finally entrusted to him. Elistar Reziel, the twenty-seventh Grand Duke of a Grand Duchy which didnt exist anymore. The Last Protector. The Betrayer, as someone had named him. Dragonhunter. A man.
Grinning, the Grand Duke smiled to that last thought. Someone would have told his life had been a permanent and endless adventure, glory and danger and fortune and betrayal hiding behind any corner. It seemed his biography had come out from a novel
but despite that, his ultimate dream would have been to finally have the chance to be
nothing else but that. A man. Free to show his affections in public, free to say he didnt care about so many schemes and projects and games. Free to be himself and nothing else. But
«I am not» he sighed, his gaze wandering purposelessly over the old and shiny armor right near the entrance door. The armor of his youth, when his one concern seemed to be the leadership over the Talons, the group of elite Iremian chevaliers which were meant to be the horse-mounted version of the modern Aerobatics. His youth
when he could have given his own life a sudden turn. He wouldnt have had to do anything else but outstretching his hand and
so many things would have changed. Ileana would have been his spouse. His lineage
probably, it wouldnt have extinguished with him. The sudden knocking at his door brought him back from his own thoughts. When the guard outside his door announced the young Kangarawan Ambassadress was there, Reziel nodded.
«feel free to take a break, Lizard»
«My Lord, guarding your door is a ple
»
«Im rather sure Lady Janus wont stab me with her stiletto heels, Lizard» he grinned. As the Archangels chuckled back and nodded, Reziel grinned with satisfaction. Just as almost everyone else, the man adored the young diplomat. Her temper, her understanding of the Iremian traditions, the respect and the polite curiosity she had always shown towards her culture
«Elistar? Are you ok?»
Focusing his attention on her, he smiled. Understanding why Lachdanan had fallen so deeply in love with her was even too simple. It wasnt just her beauty. It was
her inner light.
«I apologize, Marilyn. I go on being trapped by the enchantment of your beauty» he smiled warmly.
«Elistar, Elistar
you should behave. You know that Ileana has spies everywhere. Should she happen to be eavesdropping, wed be in terrible troubles» she giggled. Despite stressors were piling on her shoulders with appalling speed, her tone was calm and warm as always. Giving away her sorrows too easily was a luxury she couldnt afford, not even with a man who had become a good friend. Smiling back, he invited her to sit down and then poured her a cup of the strong mint tea he knew she adored. A little hint from all-knowing Ileana, to be exact.
«Your message
its urgency
my staff has gone crazy with wonderings, Elistar. Whats
whats going on? I mean
aside everything else» she asked. For a brief moment, Elistar Reziel wondered if a long long long talk wouldt have been a little easier to handle
but he should have expected it. Marilyn had an impressively high number of things to do
and despite her attempts, she was in desperate need to have some time for herself, if only to reorganize her own thoughts. Which wasnt what Reziel had planned for her, unfortunately. As dear as he held her
that was something which couldnt wait. Too many news would have started running very fast, and they had to have a plan to contain them. So
«Marilyn
Ive been informed by Ileana. No
not the diplomatic mess from Tasman. Im sure an accommodation can be found rather easily. No. About
»
«The child» she added dryly, putting down the porcelain cup. The Duke nodded so gravely that she couldnt avoid herself a shiver. Something which should have been a private joy for herself and for Lachdanan only
it was coming out as some kind of State matter, with the spicy addition of demons and demon-hunters dancing all around it.
«Not just the child, Marilyn. More
the Heir. The First in the Line of Succession to the Iremian Throne, to be exact. Which is, in the end
hell yes: the core of what Im going to say here»
«The Empire has crumbled, Elistar. There is
»
«Formally, Lachdanan is the Emperor. In Exile, probably
but the Emperor anyhow. I suspect hed be rather happy to turn the whole title down
but the aristocracy wont allow it. They want
they need the hope well move back to the ancient capital, sooner or later. This is why
this is why Kadras suggested him not to explicitly renounce to it. The turmoil and the unrest
we simply couldnt
»
«What has this to do with my child, Elistar?»
«He is
» years of his own life came back to his mind. Years hiding his feelings for the woman he loved so dearly. Years spent protecting their honors. Years spent being aware of the rumors and the talks and the whispers behind their back «Marilyn
our people, they arent easy to handle. They are
they stick to their own Tradition. They worship their Tradition, as if they hadnt anything else. Its
its so incredibly present in our lives that
it influences them. I failed the Empire because of it, because rebelling against my Emperor wasnt something I could think at. I
it has prevented me to make what anyone else would have done in respect to Ileana. I
»
«Why didnt you marry her. After, I mean. Its something Ive wondered for a very long time» she shot. Reziel froze, as if the question had been completely unexpected
even if it wasnt.
«Codric was a close friend of mine. To some extent, it was for me what Lothar is for Lachdanan. A brotherhood even deeper than the Archangelic one. He was
my right arm. My most trusted lieutenant. The man I instinctively relied onto, when things were going bad. And
yes, he had married the woman I loved. That day
I sent him to the Eastern provinces. I knew I should have waited
but Codric convinced me of the contrary. A quick reaction was needed
and he was my only man. I authorized his departure. He was so sure about it that he had brought Arian with himself. And then
»
«They were attacked b the Ziganians. Codric died
Arian managed to survive. This doesnt answer my question, Elistar»
«When
when the news reached Irem, my world crumbled. I had just lost my best friend
but that wasnt what a number of others perceived. He has sent his rival to death
thats what they told. Old rumors were brought back to life and
»
«Old rumors?»
«Arian
for a long while, he has been suspected to be my son» he replied. For a moment, the answer remained suspended.
«I didnt
»
«Thats Irem. When I came back from the Eastern provinces, Lachdanan and Lothar at my side
well, nobody had really believed the rumors. Nobody had started them. Nobody had anything to share with similar foolishnesses
but despite that, the rumors survived. Obviously enough, nobody ever talked about it openly. Nobody accused either me or Ileana of anything
but gossips can be as piercing as an accuse, sometimes. So
»
«You didnt marry her because
you wanted to avoid giving some kind of legitimacy to said rumors»
«Thats it
and thats why were here, Marilyn. I
I am not such an interesting target anymore. Lachdanan
he is. Definitely. A young Prince, in love
with a foreigner. The ruling Emperor engaged with a woman who hasnt blue blood in her veins. Thats what they will say
the same person who elbow to have you at their gala dinners. Your child
they will have just a name, for him»
«A bastard» she hissed, anger mounting inside her.
«Thats what they will say, Marilyn. Thats what youll hear behind your back, unless
»
«Unless?!?»
«A marriage
a union between the house of the Uth Reisers and the house of the Reziels. Thats
thats something nobody will ever dare to question. Thats something which will bury any rumor inside such a deep grave that not even a whisper will
»
«Elistar
Im not following. The house of the Uth Reisers and the house of the Reziels
Profer
what do you mean?!?»
«Marilyn
as foolish as it may seem
become my daughter. Allow me to adopt you»