THE CROWNPRINCE

  The Imperial Chambers.

  Deep Royal purple curtains on each wall, beautiful pieces of armour on the walls that were worn by some of the finest men in history, and luxuries that most would do no less than killing themselves for.

  And the freezing cold that could rival the north. Cassius shivered under his covers, as his eyes slowly opened to the ethereal light of the sun shone through the grand window of his bed chamber.

  He could hear the Guard still knocking at his door, Tap Tap Tap, “Your Highness, Your Lord Father calls for you to break your fast with him.” Tap Tap Tap “Your Highness?”

  “A moment, Syr,” Cassius managed to spurt out in a tired mutter. He did not want to get out from under those covers and expose himself to the freezing cold air of winter. Yet, Father was already in a bad mood, and he did not want to burden him anymore than needed.

  He pushed himself to get up, and pushed the large bedsheet off of him. The nightsuit does nothing against the cold as it's merely a thin one piece robe of silk. He brushes his eyes off and quickly gets himself in a thick brown tunic. Over it, he wears a white thick shirt made from Western silk. Thick cotton trousers that hug his skin tightly, and finally the imperial red stash across his body.

  And he walks out of the room, to Syr Erbock, who greets him with a respectful bow. “Your Father and Mother are waiting at the Private Solar for your attendance, and so are your siblings."

  Of course, he thought to himself, he pictured himself giving a stupid practiced smile. All he wanted was to stay in bed but Father would send him to the gallows if he failed to keep the image of the Imperial family standing.

  The Solar was decorated with paintings of all the great members of the Illeryn line, and a fireplace, that kindling was one of the things that actually heated up the room to a warm comfort.

  The table was set with a variety of foods: roasted fish, some bacon, and olive bread, and some boiled eggs that were lightly seasoned.

  Father was dressed in thick imperial garments and a cloak over it all that held the Sigil of House Illeryn, the proud Illeryn Phoenix on a red field, screaming in defiance as the field below his feet burned. Mother wore similar clothes, with a cloak embroidered with the Sigil of House Sollerre-a Grand Grimbear on its hind legs on a green field with a ribbon, inscribed with the words The First Archdukes of Vallaros

  His siblings were dressed less so extravagantly, in mere tunics and shoulders decorated with gold sculptures of the Imperial Phoenix on their right, and Royal Grimbear on their left.

  “Hello,” is all Cassius can say in a tired voice, as he pulls the chair back and takes a seat. He waits for some kind of correction from Father…but none come.

  He just…eats-barely-looks up, and greets him with a nod and a smile, and goes back to eating. He keeps his face down. He was probably tired from late night Councils or something, and was most possibly hiding his heavy drawn, red, sleep deprived eyes.

  Mother did give him a certain look that told him to straighten up, and all while she barely said a word of it.

  Cassius grabbed a small loaf of bread in a basket that was baked fresh that morning, and the servants brought out a plate of roasted fish, that was covered in oil and large peppers, and the bacon was cooked lightly, just how he liked it. After that was the boiled eggs, the middle was soft and leaked slightly as he cut into it with a knife.

  Cassius picked at his own food with a silver fork, and took a scoop of it into his mouth, and bit through the chewy bacon and then moved to the roasted fish, which tasted nice yet was cooked a bit too much but was enjoyable. The eggs were better though, the runny yolk especially was a nice ending to the meal.

  Oddly enough though, no one spoke. Not Father, not Mother, not Brother, or his Sisters. He pushed aside the plate and took another piece of bread and poured himself some gravy on a side plate, and began to scoop it all up. The room began to feel more and more tense, and Father had eaten but seemed to have barely noticed as he was picking at his plate.

  The sun was beginning to rise higher and higher outside, and it was nearing the time when Father would be holding Court. Or even holding a Senate meeting. Yet he was still lost in thought…

  And as Cassius was ready to excuse himself,Aeryan sighed…

  “Would you all please give us a moment?” Mother spoke up, and the servants quickly hurried away, followed by the two Guards who closed the double doors behind them.

  Father stood up, and looked up at us finally. His eyes were less darkened than he originally thought and then Father coughed into his hand, and straightened himself.

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  “I have an important announcement,” he said in a grovelier voice. “I will be retaking my spot as on-field Lord Commander of the Ninth. I will also be taking a trip to Theon’s wall. I will leave the same day as Cassius and Siron.”

  The thought of Father off in Vallaros was a bit of an ominous notion. King Vaelron was not known for being friendly to the Empire and even vocally supported King Lucious of Lanvar. There was more than a small chance that Vaelron would not think twice before capturing or poisoning Father.

  “While I am gone, I will leave your Mother and Lord Alric in my stead.” Father said, his voice cutting through Cassius’s thoughts. “Lord Alric will sit the Throne and will handle all of the Lord of State’s duties, and your mother will handle the duties of the Lady of State.”

  The room tensed, and there was some silence in the room as none of them spoke. Until Mother finally broke it. “You can all go back to your chambers. Your Father and I have much work to get to.”

  And so he stood, pushed the chair back in, and left. Outside the air was blowing through the small gaps between the closed windows and made the hot water that was pumped through the walls basically useless.

  Cassius walked through the Grand Hall way. It was sculpted out of marble and obsidian. A hundred feet, decorated in millions of portraits and tapestries of battles and great Consuls.

  And the door to the Throne Room was guarded by two statues of the Great Saviour, Cassius The Second-Saviour of the Republic. Next to him stood hundreds of Armour stands, covered in the finest steel known to man, Rammsteel. It was a great and empowering sight to any man of Velmyria who walked through and great sight of fear to any of those who opposed the Greatest Nation to ever hold a Sword.

  The doors to the Throne Room were large Oaken double doors with thick iron belts that reinforced it. At the two Grand doors that led into the Throne Room stood tall protected by two Imperial-Custodiaus men in Golden Armour. The men were armed with a spear in their hands facing the door, and a Rammsteel sword on the other side of their body.

  He pushed the door open and walked into the room that held the greatest seat known to man, The Obsidian Throne. The Throne was flanked by two rivers of lava in Stone brick canals that formed and twisted on the floor around The Throne, and formed the symbol of the Imperial Phoenix.

  The path on the floor was made of Spruce wood from the Eudurn Provinces and the walls were decorated with lanterns, and small trees planted in the ground. The Throne itself was almost fifty-five feet tall, and said to be built out of a giant sixty foot tall, twenty foot thick slab of Imperial obsidian.

  The entire Palace was built around this one centre piece. The rooms bent around it, and the only way to make their way to the personal Imperial Chambers. Behind it was the largest window in the Empire, and stained glasses that were made into different colored glass shards that formed into the Ten-pointed stars.

  Every time Cassius stepped foot in the Throne Room, he wanted to wait, and just admire the entire beauty and all of it. Yet, now it has slowly become a bore. He had seen all of it, he knew every little corner of it, and he also knew that it was not great.

  Cassius tried to quicken his pace as he pushed the doors open and trotted through the Great Hall and passed the lit fires around the pillars holding up the roof.

  The Capital city was beginning to spring back to life now, the sun was rising higher and higher, and people were outside the Palace, looking in. Mostly composed of Lords and Ladies, and the High Council were making their way into the Palace from their residential tower.

  After all of it, Cassius made his way to the stables. A large wooden box with a stone brick foundation. The Stable master, Serin Darnes.

  “Your Highness,” the Stable Master bowed his head low, and Cassius answered with a slight smile and a nod.

  The Horses were the largest in the Empire. Eight feet tall and thickly muscled, they were the true symbol of Velmyrian might in every field of combat. Cassius’s own horse was a black Corsair with a white mane. “Prepare my saddle.”

  “At once, Your Highness.” The Stable master bowed and pushed one of the other Stable workers to grab the decorated leather saddle, and his riding gloves and a black cloak.

  It would’ve been about midday when Cassius finally trotted his horse down the Mountain pass and to the common areas of the capital and finally began riding on flat ground towards the King’s Gate.

  The ride took him through the most lavish streets of the capital. Houses made of marble, brick and roofs made of red clay. Their porches were filled with potted plants and trees of lemons and mango. And they stretched all the way to the Brass Tower.

  The Brass Tower was where the Capital walls began. It was the first of three, and was nicknamed Faelan, in memory of Prince Faelan the Builder who built it during King Halvar’s reign. The gate was made of oxidised copper and was twenty feet tall and opened with a great screech that made Cassius’s ears want to bleed.

  In between the walls were the home of the Fifth Legion of the Imperial-Custodiaus, and the Capital guard-which was about a hundred thousand strong.

  The second gate was less massive, and its gate was only about twenty feet tall in all and the gate was made of oak, and reinforced with steel. Once again the gate opened and Cassius rode through. In between the outer and middle walls were mainly for resupply and all you could use to get through it, and that tunnel was so damn short that Cassius had to almost bend his back in two to not his head on the brick roof.

  And after a few minutes of riding, he was finally on Velmyrian countryside. The plains stretched for miles and miles away and the River Bear bent and weaved through it. The wind blew hard on Cassius’s face as he kicked his horse and the great Stallion took off at great speeds, his cloak billowing behind him as if he were some hero from the story books.

  Cassius loved to ride out here, it would be almost a hundred miles before and true towns would show themselves. This place was one of the only places near the capital where Cassius could actually have some peace and think.

  Back at Ina, he could just lock himself in his chambers and tell the castellans to not bother him for however long, but Father called him into Solenkar for the first two weeks of winter.

  He hadn’t ridden here in over five years and it was a bit nice to feel the morning winter breeze on his face.