The next day I was allowed to rest, the previous day's events obviously having taken its toll on me as I slept for almost 15 hours afterward.
When I finally awoke it was to a feast. Grandfather had decided that the family would celebrate not just yesterday's birthday, but my selection as the tenth wielder of the Warhammer. The family maids led by Irma and Clara helped me quickly get cleaned up and dressed properly for the occasion.
Usually it was just Irma with Clara helping out when needed, but this time I was swarmed by a dozen maids as they circled me, each doing their job quickly and diligently.
The outfit they put me in was one I was familiar with in design and had previously worn on a few occasions, yet now the colour had been changed. Originally it was black like my uncle Willy's favourite suit, but now I wore a small white suit with a white shirt and red tie. Both the inside of the jacket and my pockets were lined with the same red colour, and the seams were sewn together with a light and barely visible blue colour.
I could easily see the colour scheme was based on the titan our family is famous for, and now as the chosen heir to that titan it had already begun to influence my life.
Soon after I was dressed the maids led me to the door of my bedroom and Irma knocked twice. The door flew open outward and I was immediately surrounded by a group of twenty armed men. Known well by their red coats and spiked helmets, these are men of the Tybur family guard.
It was not unusual for me to be guarded by several of these men in the past, but the current number was more than had ever been necessary before. It seemed that this would be another change in my life and I wondered if I would ever be left alone again.
I followed the men down the hallway to the stairs, every step of the way I witnessed more guards lining the inside of the manor. They stood at regular intervals along the wall, and there were guards positioned on either side of the stairs every 3 steps. It seemed that Grandfather was now extremely protective of his new heir.
As I began to descend I noticed more men lined up at the bottom creating a single pathway through the house leading directly to the dining room. Having no other choice I followed the route they had set for me.
This was the largest of the dining rooms in the manor, and one that my family used only for special occasions or to entertain highly important guests.
As I approached the large mahogany doors they opened up seemingly by themselves, the men inside somehow knowing I was nearby and opening them perfectly on time allowing me to continue forward unhindered.
Entering the room, the guards surrounding me split to my left and right, each taking up a position around the outskirts of the room leaving only 4 by my side. While I was now less claustrophobic, the sudden openness was actually jarring.
I looked ahead to see my family sitting around the table all looking toward me, most sitting in their usual seats, however there were a few changes and I couldn't help but notice that there were a few people missing.
I stuck to my stride and kept moving forwards, stopping only to acknowledge the man sat at the head of the table. "Grandfather." I bowed my head toward the current leader of our Family and he replied with a slow nod.
Continuing on to my seat, I paused as I reached what would have been my usual spot between my mother and father, only now my seat was not here anymore. It was my Grandfather that quickly cleared up my confusion.
"That seat is no longer yours, you will sit where you belong from now on." He said before looking away from me. I turned to follow his eyes and knew what he meant.
Not wanting to make anyone wait any longer, I moved to my new seat at the opposite end of the table to my Grandfather. Usually it would have been reserved for my Grandmother, but after her passing the seat had remained empty. Now it is mine.
As I sat, the four remaining guards stood close behind me. To my right and left sat my mother and father, my sister Arielle and my brother Thomas sat beside them. I sat there in silence, not knowing what to do or say in this situation. Looking to my parents for guidance, of which I got none.
The tension in the air was palpable, but I couldn't figure out why everyone was so on edge until once again my Grandfather spoke up. "Welcome Alexander, we did not get to celebrate your birthday yesterday, and so we hold this feast today as an apology to you."
"We're sorry." A cacophony of voices arose from around the table as my family apologised in unison.
This shocked me for a second before I quickly replied "Oh no, it was my fault. Thank you all for doing this for me." Everyone looked somewhat relieved with my answer, all apart from Grandfather, however he didn't speak up about it.
"Well then, let us begin." At Grandfather's words a jingle rang throughout the hall and a dozen waiters stepped into the room carrying food and drinks for us all.
Having slept for over half a day I was obviously quite hungry and wasted no time digging into my food. Roast pork with a nice helping of potato on the side and a large amount of gravy, it was my favourite meal and they had obviously made it just for me. The moment I took the first bite it was obvious that the chefs had spared no expense in ensuring this meal was perfect.
As we ate, my family began to talk, yet the conversation was clearly quite shaky and I could tell they were just trying to distract themselves from something. The older members took control and began to speak of politics and the state of Marley, nothing I could quite understand properly but I listened intently either way.
Listening to the conversation I couldn't help but look around, and as I did I remembered my previous thoughts. There were people missing.
"Mother, where are uncle Alfred and aunt Kira? Is Sara not coming down today?" The conversion ground to a halt as all eyes fell on me, and I felt as if I had just said the worst thing possible.
My mother smiled at me to help assuage my fears, but I could tell it was just a mask. "They couldn't make it today, and I'm afraid you won't be able to see Sara or Christopher today either. Your uncle had to leave on business and he took your aunt with him so he wouldn't be lonely-"
"Do not lie to the boy Lara." My mothers mouth snapped shut and her body snapped upright at the interruption and once again the tension arose. "As my heir, Alexander is the next lord of this manor, as such you will never lie to him again, am I understood?"
It was a question, but there was only one real answer. "Yes father, I apologise. I still looked at Alex as my son who needed to be protected, but I understand, it will not happen again."
"No, it will not." His words hung in the air for almost a minute, nobody dared even move until he spoke again. "Your uncle is dead."
I felt the air leave my lungs as images of my uncle's lifeless body ran rampant through my mind. I had seen him yesterday as I left with Grandfather, what could have possibly happened since then? "What happ-"
"He tried to kill you." I was shocked, as were most others around the table. At least those around my age, it seemed that the older members among us had already heard what had happened. But I wasn't given time to think as my Grandfather continued.
"Alfred was always a petty child, and after hearing my decision to make you my heir he practically threw a fit. I thought I had managed to calm him down, however shortly after I returned with you yesterday he snuck into your room and attempted to murder you. Luckily I had placed a guard within your room and they were able to stop him before he finished the act. He was beaten to death in the room, and your aunt has been arrested under suspicion of conspiring with him."
"Why? Why would he do that?" I didn't really want the answer, but I couldn't just leave it as it was.
"Family politics, something you must grow used to in your future. He always wanted the Warhammer, and having failed to get it for himself he wanted you out of the picture so that his son Christopher could become my heir instead. The blithering fool never realised that neither of his children were even on my list of candidates."
The only question I wanted the answer to finally left my lips: "What is going to happen to Sara and Chris?"
"Their mother awaits judgement and they will share in her sentence, I already believe that they are too dangerous to be allowed to remain, their presence here alone now threatens your ascension. Their parents' poisonous words have likely already infected their young minds. If Kira is found to be innocent, then they shall be banished from this manor and sent to live in one of our other homes. If she is found guilty, then all three shall be sentenced to death-"
"No!" On reaction alone I stand up and slam my hands against the table.
"What did you say?" My Grandfather spoke in a low voice as he levelled a harsh glare toward me, the only emotion I had seen from him all night. All eyes were wide with worry as they looked at me.
I bit my lip before deciding to continue. "I am your heir, the next head of this family, right? Then as the next lord Tybur I say that Sara and Christopher had nothing to do with this, they will stay with us."
I couldn't tell what emotions my Grandfather was feeling. As a man who was perpetually stoic, his face often betrayed none of his thoughts. I began to sweat, wondering if I would be sentenced to the same punishment as them. But I refused to back down, for Sara and Christopher's sake.
The silence was deafening. It felt like hours before it was finally broken by the sound of three slow claps.
"I am impressed, Alex. You are already beginning to take your role seriously. Fine, if you so wish it then Sara and Christopher will remain here. However, a proper punishment must be given and so there must be an equivalent exchange. Your aunt's punishment will be changed to accommodate for all three of them. If she is found to be guilty, then I will send her to Paradis where she can attempt to live out the rest of her days surrounded by devils, if she is not eaten by a titan first. However, if she is found to be innocent then I shall be lenient.
Hearing that I breathed a sigh of relief...
"I will send her to Paradis, where I will grant her husband's last wish and give her a life as a titan." Yet that feeling lasted only a moment.
The mood fell heavily, the air itself seemed to turn solid for a moment. The idea of becoming one of those mindless monsters was disgusting, so much so that I think we all lost our appetite. All apart from my Grandfather, who after saying his piece eagerly returned to his meal.
Nobody else ate for the rest of the night. We didn't speak or even look at each other. We just waited until Grandfather was finished with his meal, and then he rose and left us in silence.
One by one the others left, and eventually it was just me and my parents. My mother and father rose to leave, as they did my mother leant over and gave me a kiss on the forehead, followed by a tight hug. As she held me there I heard her voice in my ear, it was almost silent. "Remember what I told you Alex." After that she released me and walked out of the room with my father.
Finally it was just me.
It slowly dawned on me that the night's dinner wasn't really a celebration, but a show put on by my Grandfather. He wanted to make sure the rest of our family knew what would happen if they crossed him.
Things may look mostly the same, but it was obvious to me now that my family were no longer free to do as they wished. Now they were no better than prisoners trapped in this house, any wrong move and they would end up the same as Alfred and Kira. My aunt and uncle's deaths meant little to my Grandfather, yet they served as a warning, a deterrent to those who thought of disobeying him.
At the same time he wanted to use this dinner to test me, he wanted to see how I would react and test my loyalty to him and his cause.
I'm sure he was actually disappointed with what he got, but as always he never showed it on the surface. And I didn't doubt he would make his disappointment known at a later date.
I spoke up for what I thought was right, and I got what I wanted. But in the end that was little consolation to me. Sara and Christopher would stay with us, I was glad for that, but in their place their mother would be subjected to hell on earth.
It was nothing more than a thinly veiled threat to me. Disobey my Grandfather, or act against his wishes and I would find only misery.
Either to be eaten by a titan, or to live as a titan herself. I had only seen them in the visions yesterday, but either of those punishments was horrific.
Yet if it was to save my cousins from their parents' crimes? Then I would bite my tongue and accept my Grandfather's decision.
I could only hope that aunt Kira was found guilty, that way her punishment would at least be for a crime she committed and it would hopefully end quickly.
But neither option was good and I only wish I could have done more.
Eventually I made it to bed, followed by my guards. In my room I was greeted by my new team of maids who helped me out of my suit before I flopped onto my bed and passed out, the day's events having been just as tiring as the previous.
A/N: As we don't really know all that much about the Tybur family I am taking a lot of liberties with how they act. Usually they are a happy family however Grandfather's sudden change has them all on edge. None of them want the same punishment as Kira or Alfred.