The prince stood poised at the head of the table. A large sheepskin map sprawled in front of him, several hellhounds marking enemy camps. His army outnumbered them three to one, but the rival lord had never lost a war in his short life.
"The soldiers are getting restless, my lord," said Lord Leonidas. "We have been staying here for two weeks. They need some fresh blood. There have been three deaths in drunken brawls during the past two days."
"The Zhangs and the Solaces cannot be expected to maintain the peace, my lord," agreed Lady Reyna.
"What do you propose we do, my lady?" asked the prince, his eyes like chips of ice. "The Jacksons have refused to return the ravens sent to them. Lord Perseus may yet seek revenge for his brother's death. Even if he does not, they will not take kindly to us invading the Shorelands."
"I have seen your victory in the flames," said the Red Priest, Octavian of Thrace.
Everyone in the room turned to look at the prince with expectant eyes. He was Prince Jason of House Grace, the Shield of the Skylands and the Young Eagle. King Zeus was the Lord of the Three Kingdoms but no one accused him of being the Protector of the Realm. It had always fallen on Jason to clean up the messes his lord father left.
"Lord Nico may be young but he is not stupid. He knows the odds as well as us. He will not face us in open battle," snapped Jason to their faces.
"M'lord," squeaked a voice from the entrance of the tent.
"Speak up, child," said Ser Michael Kahale, not unkindly.
"It's the envoy, m'lord. The one who went to the Shorelands. He has come back," said the servant boy.
"He is to come here at once," commanded Jason, rounding on the frightened boy.
"Yes, m'lord," said the boy and scampered off.
By the time the envoy reached the tent, a quarrel had broken out amongst the petty lords and Jason's head had started feel like it was going to implode.
"MY LORDS," shouted Lady Reyna, effectively shutting everyone up. "Be conscious of your company."
"Give the man some mead," Jason said to his cupbearer, a Solace girl of one-and-ten.
The man in front of him looked famished and exhausted. He seemed like he was about to fall asleep on his feet. His dark skin was grimy, his clothes reduced to rags. He guzzled the mead given to him in one go and said, "Thank you, my lord."
Jason nodded at him and asked, "What is your name?"
"I am Charles Valdez, my lord," he said, glancing at Lord Valdez.
"Well met, cousin," acknowledged Lord Valdez, his tone suggesting he had never met the man in his life.
"What news of the Jacksons, Charles?" Jason inquired, his impatience bubbling to the surface.
"The di Angelo envoys were already there when I got to Sea Harbour. They are looking to seal their alliance with the Jacksons with a marriage. The Lady Chase herself came with their envoy," said Charles, his eyes darting from person to person. "I am sorry, my lord, but we were too late. Lady Bianca di Angelo is to marry Lord Perseus one moon's turn hence."
That night when Jason went to bed, he pictured what would happen if they were to lose to the Shadowlanders. They were rumoured to be strange people worshipping their strange gods who rose from under the earth and could travel through shadows. No one had ever conquered the Shadowlands by combat.
Ancient myths told a tale of how three brothers had come to a new land where no man had ever come before. They were the ones who had created the Three Kingdoms- the Skylands, the Shorelands and the Shadowlands. The three kingdoms had flourished under their individual rulers for many years until King Jupiter of House Grace. He divested the other rulers of their thrones and proclaimed himself Lord of the Three Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm.
But he had a dragon, thought Jason, and I don't see any dragons here.
If Lord Perseus got married to Lady Bianca, they were sure to lose the war. Then, his father would lose his head and more importantly, his throne. Jason would also lose his head and his beautiful lady wife would never forgive him. She was back at Olympus, with his lord father and he could only pity her.
He shifted and turned in his uncomfortable, cold tent and thought of Lady Piper, with her beautiful multi-coloured eyes and kind smile. He thought of his wretched father who had killed Lady Maria di Angelo when she had refused to let him bed her young niece. He thought of Lord di Angelo, her son who had started a war to avenge his mother's death.
Prince Jason Grace lay in his cold tent bed and thought about how wrong his father was and how wrong his side was and he wished to back in his bed in the Gold Keep with Piper by his side .
He remembered a time when he thought his father could do no wrong. His belief had been shattered like an egg dropped on a stone floor. The King deserved to be hanged for his treasons. He was a sot, a drunk and a rapist. But, he was the most powerful man in the Three Kingdoms and no one had the courage to stand up to him, not even Jason; until Nico's Rebellion.
Jason could not, would not fight for a treacherous king and a kingdom which howled for blood. Only one path seemed clear to him.
The trees overhead shivered in the cold winds. To Jason they seemed whisper, about things of times long past and of times still to come. It was eerie in the clump of trees but the sword at his hip grounded him with its familiar weight.
The darkness around him rippled like it was a living thing. The rustling leaves and the deep shadows created a gateway to another world in front of him. He wondered whether he was in presence of the gods of the Shadowlanders.
Approaching footsteps broke him out of his reverie. Two hooded figures walked towards him in the gloom, their gait stealthy, their movements graceful. They stopped not two feet away from Jason and one of them spoke up.
"Why were we called here?" asked a male voice.
"Ser Michael, Lady Reyna, I am glad you were hasty," whispered Jason.
"Why the secrecy, my lord?" queried Lady Reyna, her voice pitched low, her armour glistening in the moonlight.
"I trust both of you with my life and now I am trusting you with my heart," said Jason, his voice steady in spite of his erratic heartbeat. "You are to rescue Lady Piper from the Gold Keep."
Ser Michael let out a sharp gasp of surprise. "But that would mean she was a captive, my lord."
"You cannot mean..." trailed off Lady Reyna, her eyes flashing.
"Yes, I am saving the realm," said Jason decisively. "And you will save my wife."