A/N: If you were previously following this story, I'm sorry, I reposted it due to needing a fresh start with it.
Fear shot through the woman's heart yet again as she stepped off her plane. She didn't know who could be waiting for her, where assassins could be waiting. The early afternoon sun cast a dark shadow around her as she walked toward the terminal that would take her to the train station. She got several looks from the men at the airport, but she brushed all of them off. She couldn't afford any distractions. After boarding her bus, she sat down in an open seat near the back, out of sight.
She tried to suppress her fear, tell herself that her uncle would be able to help her, but even as she did so, more worries surfaced. She was terrified that Roxanne, one of her husband's other wives, would hurt her children for her flight. She knew it was selfish to leave them behind like that. She hated herself for it, but it wouldn't matter, soon. Soon she would be reunited with her uncle, he would come to court with her and her brother, and they would be safe. It was far easier to travel without them, especially the younger ones, who wouldn't understand that they had to remain incognito.
No, her daughter was 17, she could take care of her younger siblings just fine for a few days. She reassured herself consistently as she boarded the limousine her uncle sent for her; she would be fine, as would her children. Roxanne wouldn't be so stupid as to act so far outside of her power bases of Pendragon and New England. This was proven in her mind as they made it out of the city without any incident, and began the hour long drive to her uncle's home.
There were no incidents on much of the highway, aside from a car accident and a lone wolf gunman, who was not working for Roxanne, or anyone else really. He was a crazed supporter of Leda, another one of her fellow consorts, from a powerful family in Ontario with eyes on the Duchy. The man met a swift end, with two shots to the head.
When she finally arrived at her Uncle's mansion, she was escorted into his large front foyer, adorned with relics of their German past. The steward stood off to the side as she went before her hosts. Her uncle George, Earl of Columbia, was there, directly in front of her leaning on his cane, his old blue eyes carefully observing her. At his side was his son, her cousin, William, Viscount Columbus.
"My beloved niece, how kind of you to grace us with your presence. House Stadtfeld welcomes you back to our beloved home." George said, holding out his left arm outward in a welcoming gesture.
"I thank you for your hospitality, Lord Stadtfeld." the woman replied kindly. She put on a happy smile. She was always welcome here, they were just examining formalities. Her uncle smiled kindly.
"Please, take her things to the guest room." The maids bowed and moved to follow his commands. "Joshua," he continued, turning to his steward, "please escort her to my private office." he said in a stern tone.
"At once, my lord." The man said with a salute and bow, before gesturing for her to follow him. She followed him up the grand staircase covered in red carpeting. William was still giving commands as her uncle strolled off behind her. The man, Joshua, led her through a series of hallways, each filled to the brim with extravagant paintings and beautiful jewelry.
Joshua walked around a corner, and opened a door at the end of the hallway. "In here, my lady." She walked up to the man and smiled at him.
"I thank you. May I ask where you are from? I do not recall you from my previous visit." she said.
"Of course. I am a Baron from a town about an hour's drive from here, if it pleases your ladyship." The man answered kindly, the smile never leaving his face. This did not particularly please her, but the man seemed to be trusted by her uncle; she nodded her head in response, putting on her fake smile that she often used to turn away a wave, she entered the room and the man lightly closed the door behind her.
She let out a sigh of relief. After all, she had made it this far. There was little more road to travel on, she had nearly reached the light at the end of the tunnel. She knew it. As she sat in one of the chairs in front of her uncle's desk, she finally allowed her nerves to relax, content in knowing her terrible journey was nearly over.
The door opened behind her as her uncle entered the room. Striding proudly with walking stick in hand, the 65 year old man circled around his desk and sat behind it, calmly looking directly at her with his cerulean blue eyes. He calmly grabbed a cigar from his desk and put it into his mouth.
"So. What brings you to my fine estate, my dear niece?" he asked simply, his voice betraying no emotion. It was always when he became like this that she feared him. She prided herself on being able to read people's voices and tell what emotion they are showing. Her uncle, and other men like him, could say anything without their voices betraying anything, making them completely unpredictable.
"My dear uncle." she began carefully, watching carefully for any shift on his face. "One of my fellow Imperial Consorts has gone on the most daring offensive I have seen since the Emblem of Blood. It was all fairly typical, until I was attacked in the middle of an official event, one in which my husband was present. Roxanne ne Britannia will stop at nothing to see her son Cassius on the throne, and I seem to be her current target. I came to ask you to come to Pendragon and assist me." Her uncle stared at her silently. His eyes seemed to be boring into her soul. Then he smiled. A light, happy smile. She finally relaxed.
"My dear, dear Sophia." he said. "Why would I ever refuse you like that? You are my family, and I don't turn away family when they are in need. You needn't have come all this way like this… unless there is more to say."
Sophia took a deep breath, before continuing. "Indeed. I received word from one of my agents that Roxanne planned a large scale assassination to take both me and my children out of the equation. I had no choice but to flee, Nelly can take care of her brother and sister for a few days. If she took out my children without taking out me in the process, it would paint a target so large on her back you could see it from Europia. She knows I have powerful allies surrounding her lands, and if I still live that proves a problem."
"Aye, the Earls of Sussex in Massachusetts, and the Grand Dukes of New York. They would help in any of those instances. But… what help am I?" her uncle asked.
"Because, uncle, you granted great help to my husband when he took the throne, you have an open offer for a powerful position at court, and are high on the open slate list for a seat in the House of Lords." Sophia begged.
"Aye. And many remember that. George Stadtfeld, Earl of Columbia in Wisconsin, 'Michigan's Bane.'" he laughed.
"You're forgetting that William helped." Sophia corrected.
"Aye, he kept Edward from doing anything stupid." George groaned. That reminded her of a question she had wanted to ask.
"Where are James and Edward? I didn't see them in the foyer." Sophia asked.
"James left 16 years ago." George said sullenly. "He went on a trip to Japan for his 15th birthday, fell in love with a woman there, and never came home. He has two children with her. I've had thoughts of asking him to bring them here and recognizing the marriage, but I fear Edward would do something even more stupid, like joining up with the Knights of 'Saint Darwin' and trying overthrow me." he took a deep breath "How are your children? The only one I've met is Cornelia, I never met your younger two. I've heard that you popped out another son for His Majesty."
"Lysander and Euphemia are quite well. They are turning six in a few months." Sophia smiled. The door opened and the steward, Joshua, returned with a tray of tea. He placed it down before walking back out again. Dropping a sugar cube into his tea, George spoke again.
"I have affairs to wrap up, and such things as that. William will need to be prepared to run the county for a time. He needs the experience anyway. It will take me a few days." Sophia poured milk and some honey into her own tea before blowing on it. She personally preferred yellow tea, but her uncle's green wasn't awful. "Until then, you are welcome to stay here as a guest."
"Thank you uncle!" Sophia replied happily. She felt all her anxiety flow out of her, now certain that everything would be fine. The conversation took on a decidedly lighter tone following that, with George and his niece exchanging stories, George had fewer stories to tell, being away from court and trying to stay out of the public eye. Sophia had stories from all over the court, from the time her fellow consort Leda embarrassed herself in front of the entire court in an attempt to insult Anticlea, another consort, to during Marianne and Charles' wedding when half the reception did a spit take when the Emperor actually showed up.
Her uncle actually smiled at the wedding story. He responded by pulling out a picture he had hidden in his desk. Within was a picture of James with a lady and two children, a boy and a girl, both of which shared many features with him, the girl especially. Sophia responded by bringing out an image of her daughters playing in the large garden that she grew at Chalcedon Palace. Her son hadn't been in that specific photo, but he was in several others, often clutching his twin nervously and refusing to look at the lens.
In one photo, little Euphemia had been trying to jostle him into looking at the camera, knocking his magenta hair over his eyes. Sophia had taken it only the previous day, and she planned on getting his hair cut once she flew home, she couldn't even see his eyes with his bangs so long. Her uncle had reminisced with her for some time longer, before dismissing her to the guest rooms until dinner.
A/N: Hope you've enjoyed the prologue. If you stayed through to read this chapter to the end, please drop me a review, it takes 5 seconds and it give me motivation to continue writing. See you all next chapter!