Cykrus' eyelids fluttered open, he rubbed his temples and felt his sore neck, then covered his mouth while yawning.
He scanned through the carriage, it was just him and Duke Monotay; oddly enough, he had fallen asleep, his stress had been eating away at him for the entire journey, and the interior was far from ideal for taking a nap, but it didn't seem to have mattered, Cykrus pulled the curtain open, the harsh sunlight temporarily blinding him.
He considered closing the blinds again, but instead forced his eyes to adjust, the road was rough, yet uneventful, but some muffled voices and shouting managed to wake him up.
They were passing through some sort of town, buildings spread in all directions, and there were tons of people littering the streets... a second yawn escaped him, he rubbed his eyes, then finally noticed the peculiarity, "Are we already in Astafor? What is up with all these decorations?" Cykrus got closer to the window, there were arches of colourful cloths hung over the roads between the buildings, and more apparent than anything else: there were guardsmen around every corner, the capital's security had been upped by a notch.
Cykrus turned towards Duke Monotay, seeing that the man was awake too he spoke up, "Is there some sort of celebration going on, I wasn't aware that such an event would be taking place."
"You didn't know?" Duke Monotay looked at him, "I thought it was one of the reasons for your visit, aside from meeting His Majesty." he studied Cykrus expression, "I guess not..."
"Well, you are correct, there are preparations for a celebration, to be precise, the celebration of Princess Ren's birthday." he continued.
"The princess' birthday?" Cykrus frowned, he had no present he could offer to her, was this also planned by His Highness? Intending to paint himself in a bad light to one of the three prime candidates for the throne?
Cykrus squinted his eyes, "Are the heirs' birthdays always this big, spanning the entire capital?"
"Not normally no. It just goes to show how popular Princess Ren is among the citizens. The common folk even go so far as to consider here to be a saintess." Duke Monotay answered him, "On top of that, all the successor candidates will be attending, I am guessing His Highness has something he wishes to tell them."
"You don't say." Cykrus frowned, he wanted to stay out of the succession war, especially now that him being a rank three mage wasn't a secret anymore, where people would vie to get him onto their sides, be it through promises or threats, but it also meant that the lightning mage Lokan's master would be there.
'What a headache.' he leaned against the window, the passersby outside watched the carriage cut through the bustling streets, the king's caravans were well known, and garnered attention wherever they went.
Their appearance wasn't rare, especially not with upcoming events like the current one, but they all had the same thing in common, whoever they housed was someone important.
The capital was the home of all sorts of people, ranging from high-ranking mages, over nobles and regular workers, to beggars and scoundrels, the latter almost non-existent thanks to the army's recruitment accepting nearly every able-bodied man and woman, offering them a chance at a shot to walk down the path of a mage and to be sent into different planes as support, or to be used as peacekeepers both during the day and at night.
Astafor was the centre of humanity's economy, its vast port stretching like a coastline and capable of docking thousands of boats and ships, with warships that roamed the entrances to deter pirates from getting too close.
Powerful water mages were put in charge of these fleets, their strength nearly unmatched on the open sea.
It was a well defended fortress-city, even though there were next to no historical records of it ever coming under siege, largely thanks to the threats stationed within, the most notable being the church, and the royal family.
The church had spread into the nooks and crannies of almost every family's territory, they help keep order and even offer to protect settlements where it is difficult for soldiers to do so, though the degree of protection varies, depending on the how strong the priest's or priestess's faith is.
Offending them was never a good idea.
Cykrus sighed, the church's headquarters was his second destination, right after his meeting with the king, at least if he survived that one.
The decorations around the castle were much more lavish, people could be seen running around, carrying flowers, vases, and wooden boxes in a hurry, even from afar.
The carriage was able to pass through the gate without any searches, attesting to the caravan's abilities, that there was just no way for anyone to smuggle themselves, or any unwanted objects alongside it.
They came to a halt in the large courtyard, the exit faced towards the castle's entrance, and a man humbly reached his hand towards Cykrus at the base of the steps, offering to help him down.
"No need." Cykrus courtly refused, he looked around, gardeners were tending to bush-sculptures, sharpening their edges, they showed warriors riding horses, likely into battle.
Duke Monotay followed right after, he pushed the steps back into the carriage, then knocked against it, two thuds notified the coachman that his passengers had left, and he urged the horses to move.
A butler wearing a white suite came up to them, he reached for a clipboard he had tucked in his armpit, his other hand held onto a pencil, he flashed the two a smile, then lowered his head to skim through the names on his list, "Welcome Duke Monotay, might I ask for the name of the gentleman that is accompanying you, so we can get his lodgings ready?"
"I am Lord Cykrus Aventia, but I don't need you to prepare a room for me, I will only meet with His Majesty, then return to my land." hearing his introduction the butler bowed deeply, "Forgive me for not recognising you Lord Aventia, it is an honour."
Cykrus waved his hand, dismissing his apology, then they continued walking by, the long hall looked mostly the same, only at the end, where there was a new addition to the portrays of the kings and queens of the past, 'King Lysander Van Tale' the plaque read.
It was faint, but a certain pressure could be felt from the painting, classifying them as artefacts was not entirely correct, but the properties that helped them stand against decay were truly magical.
"Usually, the ruler's painting is only hung after they've passed, seeing it now kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth." Duke Monotay shook his head.
"His Majesty is perfectly healthy, right?" Cykrus wondered, if the king suddenly disappeared, then chaos might ensue.
"Judging from his looks, yes, but I am not his physician and cannot speak with absolute certainty. Mhm, let's not talk about this any further." Duke Monotay was worried how their words would sound to a third-party.
Cykrus watched the butlers and maids rush in the direction of the giant hall he remembered clearly from his last visit.
Duke Monotay followed his gaze, "Princess Ren is hosting a banquet and chose the castle for her location, there will be a buffet, groups of musicians, and some light entertainment from what I've heard."
"Must cost a lot." Cykrus scoffed, hosting something of this scale was out of the question for him, this was the difference between a lord and a princess.
"Yes, but that isn't even everything, the princess also declared that she would reimburse anyone that bought sweets during this week, so the poorer people could also enjoy her birthday." the duke said.
Cykrus moved on, "How magnanimous of her." he wasn't interested in such details, he preferred if he could miss this event entirely.
The guards that passed them stopped to salute; it was uncommon for anyone to be allowed to roam the castle without an escort, however the Dukes and Duchesses were a part of that exemption, as they were directly subordinate to His Royal Highness, and held the second highest authority, at least if the rest of the royal family wasn't accounted for.
The title of duke could only be granted by the king, requiring a great deal of trust between them.
Moreover, only rank three mages were ever recognised and offered the position.
'A lot must have happened for Vivienne to rise to her status.' Cykrus' thoughts drifted off, her family had always been on the stronger end of the spectrum, but not even her ancestors have had the honour of being among the king's inner circle.
"Lord Aventia." Duke Monotay rattled him, "His Majesty has been in a rather good mood lately, and though I may be wasting my breath by saying this to a smart person but do mind your words around him."
Cykrus nodded, the giant doors to the throne room were already in sight, there were far more guards stationed than expected, twelve rank ones, six on each side of the doors, and a pair of rank two mages.
He could also feel several more presences coming from inside.
The guards saluted them, then Duke Monotay turned to him, "Just one moment, I will go announce your arrival to His Highness." he quietly made his way through the door, a conversation inside was barely audible, someone else must have gone inside to report or plead with the king beforehand.
Cykrus waited outside patiently, the conversation went on for a long time, he observed the carved murals on the walls and ceiling, they were telling a tale, in one scene there was a massive gathering of humans, warriors and mages alike, an army that was marching in unity.
The next one showed that same group cutting down what looked like fierce beasts, and giant monsters, Cykrus had not seen such species in his lifetime, their lower body consisted of four spear-like legs, while the upper body hosted six thin arms with small yellow spikes on their skin.
In the following scene the army was being destroyed, dark clouds hung over their heads, fire raged across the battlefield, and dead littered the ground.
The last one showed a lone human amidst an ocean of corpses, piles of skulls and bones stood around them, they were drenched in sweat and blood, missing an arm, and stood with a hunched back.
The clouds parted for a single ray of light to hit the bruised and battered human.
At the bottom of the last mural was an inscription, it had aged, but remained readable, 'We prevail.' it said.
A strange feeling overcame Cykrus, it was almost melancholic, but he also felt a sense of pride.
"History is such an interesting thing, don't you agree?" a female voice startled Cykrus, he quickly regained his bearing and faced the source.
A tall woman with braided brunette hair, wearing a red high-slit dress that revealed most of her leg was smiling at him; he lost himself within her eyes for a moment, and barely noticed the attendant right next to her, then lowered his head, "Cykrus Aventia greets the princess."
"Welcome to the capital, Lord Aventia. Will you be participating in my birthday's celebration?" Princess Ren asked bluntly, yet her voice was soft and pleasant like a song.
Cykrus bowed even deeper, "I am afraid not. Due to the precarious situation I find myself in I have little time to spare, but of course I need to make an exception when His Majesty calls for me."
"I see, what a shame. I would have loved to get to know the newest rank three mage, as well as your disciple." Ren squinted her eyes.
"Frey? Why?" Cykrus drew a blank, there was no way someone like her would care about a simple rank one mage, never mind that they hadn't met either.
Princess Ren covered her mouth with her hand, "Oh, I was just curious what would drive one to send such a young boy to his death. Desperation? Greed? However, you don't appear to be either of those... you see, I have this bad habit where I need to know why people do what they do. It is like an itch that can't be scratched."
Cykrus' expression hardened, "I think your interest in me and my disciple are misplaced, surely your focus should be on your siblings at the moment."
She removed her hand, displaying a bright and innocent smile, "And why would I do that?"
"Dearest sister, quit chatting up the poor Lord. Don't you see that his ears are already bleeding." two men walked up to them, "It is nice to meet you." the one with ashen grey hair spoke in a humble manner, while the other with tar black hair arrogantly stared past Cykrus.
Cykrus blinked, 'What is happening?' his thoughts were in disarray, but he bowed once more, "Greetings Prince Dalton and Prince Arlin."
"Ah, please, raise your head. Let's not be strangers." Dalton extended his hand.
Cykrus obliged and shook his hand, noticing the man's droopy eyes.
Dalton, Arlin, and Ren exchanged some glances, Cykrus' tongue was burning with the desire to ask for what reason those three had gathered here, surely not because of him, right?
No that was impossible, if they put this much importance on a single rank three mage, then they had their priorities all backwards...
Princess Ren cleared her throat, "I'll be heading inside first."
"We'll be right behind you, sister." Dalton nodded, and Prince Arlin joined her.
The third prince, the youngest of the bunch stayed behind, "I would appreciate if you could spare me some time, preferably when we can talk one on one. Not necessarily now, mind you." with those words Prince Dalton also headed after his siblings into the throne room.
None of the guards batted an eyelid at their actions, only the king had the authority to rein them in.
Cykrus sighed, these people were a troublesome bunch, but thankfully they did not stay for long, though he was curious what would cause those three to stop everything they were doing to attend one of His Majesty's hearings... who was the person that had entered before him?
"Lord." one of the rank two guards called out to him.
He pulled himself away from his thoughts and approached the guard, "Yes?"
"You may enter." the guard answered, causing Cykrus to recoil momentarily.
He nodded to the guard, then walked towards the entrance where a middle-aged man bumped into him, he did not look up, nor did he apologise, he just continued walking.
Cykrus was about to reach out to him, when he saw the guy keeping his head down, and how he was shivering all over.
He shook his head and moved on, it wasn't worth the trouble, especially not here in the capital, where this person could be anyone with any kind of standing.
"Now entering: Lord Cykrus Aventia." a servant near the doors announced his arrival, turning the heads of the people within towards him.
His eyes went wide, the man's behaviour was suspicious, but he completely understood why he was so fearful... at the other end of the room, at the end of the long carpet, there sat the most influential, and perhaps most powerful human of today, even with no clue as to His Majesty's actual rank, the air in here was much harder to breathe.
But His Highness wasn't alone, to his side stood three more people... each of them a problem in their own right; the people present from left to right were Prince Dalton, Prince Arlin, and Princess Ren.
Cykrus readjusted his collar, 'Don't tell me...'
At the base of the steps to the throne stood Duke Monotay and Duchess Debora, stationed like guards, and then off to the side were even more influential figures, several other nobles Cykrus had met once or twice.
A sickening feeling welled up in his stomach, it was identical to the one he felt during his hearing with the high court, where Simon had manipulated the vote, but he continued walking with confident strides, not letting it show.
He stopped a safe distance from the throne, then kneeled, placing one hand above his heart, and the other onto the carpet, "It is an absolute honour to be in your presence, Your Royal Highness. Thank you for allowing me some of your precious time to meet you in person."
All the eyes on him created a formless pressure that intensified with each word he spoke.
His heart had started to race, why were all those people present?
He wasn't even remotely as important as this gathering made him appear!
Lysander Van Tale rose from his seat, the gazes that devoured Cykrus switched their target, his expression was neither angry nor delighted, but his look was intense, "Lord Aventia." the king spoke, the hall was already quiet, but the silence that followed his words was nerve-racking.
"Allow me to thank you for heeding my summons." he continued, a short gasp escaped some of the onlookers at the unexpected words of gratitude.
"I must admit, there were several sources buzzing in my ears, that promised me you would not appear before me, at least not as willingly as you have. I am glad to have that nonsense proven wrong, and I assure you, that I will have those sources silenced for daring to smear your honourable reputation, and for lying to my face." His Highness' face underwent no change as he spoke, like killing his informants was no different from killing an insect.
"Now, you must be confused as to why all of these people have gathered here. To be frank, it was not my intention to invite such a crowd, but there are some who asked to observe, like my dearest children. As a father to each of them, I could not bring myself to refuse... would you like me to remove them from our meeting?"
Cykrus lowered his head, "How could I dare question your decisions? If it is their wish to observe, then I say let them." what did it matter if there were an additional three observers in attendance, in the end, only His Highness' opinion and judgement would have an impact on his situation.