The ruler of Everlast sat in his throne room, alone. He only held court for an hour that day, only admitting the most urgent matters. This was a time of tribulation, for sure. The Giants of the far north were rising in strength daily, and small skirmishes had already erupted between his men and the Giants. It was very likely that this was the start of another war. The Giants knew what they were doing, to. It was smart. Attacking now, as the entire kingdom is spinning quickly into war itself, showed that the Giants possessed more intelligence than many gave them credit for. They knew that there was no way Everlast would be able to fight a war with them as well as play a large role in the Kingdom. Everlast simply did not have the man power to do so.
Add onto that, Richard did not have any particular desire to side with either party in this war for the throne. When looked at from a position of strictly honor, he had a sworn oath to defend Ferramore. Apart from those words, Richard felt no loyalty to the central throne. The Queen may be evil, but evil is a point of perspective. Despite honor, Richard knew he had to do what was right for his people. In an ideal world, this would mean neutrality, so that he can focus his armies on defeating the Giants. The world was not ideal, however. In the end, heâd have to pick a side, to either honor his vow or break it.
Just before dawn Richard saddled his horse. Leaving his top general in charge, he had to make a personal envoy to Heartlong. Before he could make any kind of decision, he knew it would be best to meet with the Queen himself instead of sending an ambassador. It also gave him the opportunity to see how his son interacts with the Queenâs daughter. Before his death, Richard and the ruler of Heartlong were friends, and the idea of having their near same age children marry eventually was nothing new. The girl was pretty enough, and his son, Fredrick, named as Richardâs father, seemed to like her as well. If the connection was there, maybe that would be some kind of sign from fate that he was to side with the Queen.
It was a three dayâs ride, but nothing he couldnât handle. While admittedly he was getting old, at 37 he was beginning to feel the effects of a lifetime of soldiering in his joints, his pride kept him from ever showing any of this discomfort, and he was still warrior enough to compete against the best anyone has to offer in battle. At 6â4â and easily 250lbs, only a small fraction of which was fat, he looked intimidating enough that his age never had to be called to question, and the gray hairs sneaking into his beard and long hair only made him seem more handsome and wise, yet no less powerful.
Richard rode at the head of the envoy, with Fredrick next to him. With him were a train of 50 soldiers, a few nobles, one of his generals, three supply wagons, and about 12 merchants following along to trade their goods in Heartlong. It was not uncommon for merchants to follow royal envoys, considering that it meant extra security. They were charged for it, but nothing to substantial.
About half way there, Fredrick decided to bring up the elephant in the room. âFather, I do enjoy the company of the Queenâs daughter, but if our relationship were to hurt Everlast I would see it go no further.â This made Richard smile. While almost complete opposites, him being a soldier and his son being a mage, he knew his son would be a great ruler one day. Already Richard had his son running many of the capitolâs programs, such as collecting food and being the royal representation for the countryâs Mageâs Guild, in hopes to prepare the boy to rule. It was time for him to have a wife, anyway. He could have any girl in Everlast, not even out of force. The boy was handsome, powerful in both position and in magic, and could not walk through the kingdom without getting dreamy eyes from every single (and some taken) girls he passed.
âI know, son. So much is shrouded from our eyes. The purpose of this envoy is for us to discover the truth, and make our decisions from there. We must walk our paths with caution. Youâre growing into a fine man, and as a man your decisions are your own, but you are wise to view the repercussions of your choices against the backdrop of your duty as prince. When youâre stuck between a rock and a hard place, as we currently are, your decisions are ever more important. When we get there, I want you to spend time with the princess. Woo her. Learn everything you can about the Queen and this mess as you can. Weâre only planning on staying for three days, but that doesnât make this any less dangerous. The Queen wants the throne, and if it becomes apparent that we have no intention of helping her achieve her desire then our safety could become a concern. I havenât decided what role Everlast is going to play in this coming struggle. We may leave as allies.â Richard was a man of many words, when he had willing listeners.
Fredrick replied simply, âYes, father. You have the support and love of your men and country. They will back you in whatever you decide.â
Richard nodded at his son, and they rode the rest of the day in silence. At the start of sunset on the third day, the Queenâs castle was in view. Richard expected to be met by a greeting party and escorted into the city, as is common for these sorts of visits, as a sign of respect.