Chapter 2. Sides of the Coin
This was not how Alex wanted to spend her day.
At the newly established capital of the Albion monarchy, Bowerstone city the residents of the Hero King William and the Warrior Queen Alex. Thanks to their leadership the newly established Age of Enlightenment was coming to an end. Kick-starting the beginning of a new age, the age of industry. With the birth of such an age, the once medieval city of Bowerstone was beginning to fade to nonexistence.
The Age of Invention benefited all, the common people were finally given access to proper structuring of houses, the economy boomed as various businesses formed. Knowledge was also made easily accessible and all were encouraged to partake in education, much to the dismay of the nobility. There was also a boom in inventions such as the creation of steamboats, making it possible to travel the deep blue sea, the invention of the printing press which made it easier to spread news to others. There were many exciting inventions that wouldn't have seemed possible before the Age of Industry. Despite these marvels, the elites of Albion began to worry.
Many reformations had been made as well, and the power the nobility once had was beginning to diminish thanks to the establishment of the once assumed extinct Royal family, House Black. To the dismay of many, the current king of Albion was a descendent of the first Archon, William Black. During the Aristocratic War, the king had gone so far as to change his name to William and re-established his last name to Black. Needless to say, a dissatisfaction had rippled through their community.
Today, however, the nobles had come from all across the land of Albion to gather at Bowerstone Castle, the gothic castle once named Castle Fairfax.
The nobility gathered into the castle's elegant marble ballroom, which was illuminated by the use of olive oil, which gave the room a warm, almost otherworldly atmosphere. The elite meandered and gossiped amongst themselves as they enjoyed the tea and appetizers that the castle staff had painstakingly prepared for the event.
Above them watching was the Warrior Queen of Albion, Alex Black.
The queen was a beautiful woman. Although middle-aged, one could easily assume that she was a lady in her mid to late twenties. Her short blonde hair didn't show any sign of graying, nor did her lightly tanned skin showed any signs of blemishes or wrinkles. Her dark crimson gown served to further enhance her natural beauty by emphasizing her deep brown eyes, as did the elegant golden crown atop her head.
Though her attire was very regal, it seemed almost more fitting for a warrior prepared for combat, if her intricately decorated silver and golden chest plate was anything to go by. While it covered the vulnerable areas of her torso it had been made to flatter the design of her gown by following the seam of her bust and helped to accentuate her voluptuous chest.
Alex let out a deep, exhausted breath as she rubbed the temple of her forehead, resisting the urge to commit a massacre.
Alex swears, she would like nothing more than to bash these parasites with her legendary weapon, the Royal Scepter, but she knew all too well that would be counterproductive. At this point, all she wants to do is get this gathering over with.
She can't even begin to imagine how the nobles will react.
How Alex wishes that 'Little Sparrow' was here to deal with these people. However, the siege of Wraithmarsh took priority over the nobility. With the incoming darkness plaguing down onto Albion, they need to be prepared. Especially since sweet Logan will one day ascend to the throne. She and Sparrow were not going to live long enough to fight the darkness that lurked within Aurora so the least they can do now is use their power to ease Logan's burden before their time passes.
She knew this gathering would happen the moment the prestigious families began to get off their fat hinds out of their mansion and began inquiring about future perspectives. Either to form 'friendships' or set up arrange marriages for their children.
Despite their claims of class and their 'noble' bloodlines, these people were anything but noble. She knew from all too well what was going through their heads. In her youth, she had been one of them before her family ousted her.
She shook her head pushing down such thoughts.
Now was not the time for the past.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself, Lady Alex." Said a sarcastic, but friendly voice.
Alex turns with a warm smile as one of her and Sparrow's closest friends and adviser approaches her.
Their royal butler, Jasper, was the epitome of a model butler of Albion. His stature was sturdy, uptight with a hint of grace and elegance. What stood out was his powdered wig, which would be considered strangely plain when compared to the popular styles of long, gaudy wigs the aristocrats favored.
Repressing her bored expression, Alex gave Jasper the most joyful smile she could muster, "Oh, yes, I'm enjoying myself just fine here, Jasper."
Jasper hums with playful skepticism. "I can see that, up above, alone, looking down on Albion 'finest'," he stated with obvious sarcasm. "Unfortunately, your grace, I must cut your quality time short."
On cue, Jasper reveals her legendary weapon the Royal Scepter, that he had hidden in the back of his coat.
Ever since Alex had given Logan her Judge's Steel, the Royal Scepter was her main weapon to use if anyone with the inelegance of a Hobbe attempted to assassinate her.
Good for ceremonies and an absolute terror as a blunt instrument, just her kind of weapon of choice.
"Let's begin."
In the castle garden, a long and deep yawn escapes a ten-year-old boy's lips as he did his best to mimic the castle guards.
The young prince had a small stature just like any boy of his age, and short, wavy brown hair. He was fair-skinned with deep brown eyes that were watching the other children in the beautiful castle garden intently.
His choice of clothing mimicked the castle guard's uniform, but the crimson was replaced with a light royal blue. His weapon of choice for dealing with the horrors of Albion was a wooden toy sword strapped to his back and a toy gun hooked to his waist.
Adam stood perfectly still, trying to suppress his own boredom of watching the spoiled brats enjoying their fun.
His mother encourages him to play with the other children, but honestly, why should he? From the stories his father and mother told the nobles were the villains of Albion.
It was a noble who shot his father and killed his aunt that he'll never get to meet.
It's the nobles who threatened his mother with death before she became queen.
It was nobles who started the Aristocratic War.
Why should he play with those Hobbes?
The nobles might try to manipulate him, sway them into their mind games.
Adam will not fall for their trap!
As a prince of Albion, it was his duty as a Hero to stay vigilant like his brother Logan.
He will be ready to slay evil in any form it takes no matter-
"Um… excuse me."
Adam blinked as his traces of thought were cut off, catching glimpse of a blue-eyed girl, who was only a few inches away.
"Aha!" Adam screamed in shock at the sheer closeness, losing his composure as his royal hind fell to the ground.
The girl was cute with long blonde drill locks that reached past her shoulders and brushed her upper back. Her fair skin had a light tan to it as if she spent most of her time outdoors. She also wasn't dressed nearly as extravagantly as most of the other nobles were. Her light-yellow dress was still very elegant with its puffy sleeves and quality, but it only made the young girl seem cuter.
Deep hues of red plastered the young prince's cheeks. He couldn't help it, the cute girl had been just inches from him in kissing distance.
The blonde-haired girl tilted her head at Adam, covering her mouth to hold in her laughter. She didn't expect the little prince to lose his composure so easily considering he was watching the other children like a hawk.
Adam quickly got up and dusted off his trousers.
"What can I help with, lady…" He lingers trying to guess the girl's name.
"Elise Oak." she clarified with an upbeat tone as she stepped closer to the little prince, whose face was getting redder by each second.
His blush faded as he regained his composure after hearing the girl's surname.
"Oak, from House Oak? The Lords of Oakfield?"
"Well, I didn't want to be formal, but yes, my family are the Lords of Oakfield."
Adam narrows his eyes, searching for any hint of deceit.
He will not falter in the face of her cuteness.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" he said with a stern voice, showing his resolve against falling for her tricks.
"Well, you see Your Grace I was wondering if I can leave the garden and be with the adults? I heard rumors that Queen Alex is going to announce the new policy of Albion, I do so desire to be there." Elise beams at him as she claps her hands together.
"No." Adam answered firmly, "For your own safety and the other nobles, you are to stay here until the gathering is over."
Elise pouted as she kicked the dirt, "But it's so boring here. Can't you use your title as the prince to convince the guards to let me through or be my escort?"
Adam frowned at the girl; a bold question.
These nobles were all the same.
For him to abuse his title was unthinkable. "For the last time, my lady the answer is no," he answers with a stern voice.
"Fine," she huffed as she turned her back to Adam. "Just remember you asked for this."
Adam raises an eyebrow, shook scoffing at the noble's warning.
What can she do? She's just a kid.
"WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT ME!?"
Adam turns, seeing two noble boys fighting against each other. "Spoiled brats." the ten-year-old muttered as he and the guards were about to approach the two boys until he heard another commotion.
"DID YOU JUST CALL ME FAT!?" he heard a noble girl yell as she was pulling the hair of another girl.
Before Adam could separate the two girls, another fight erupted as noble after noble were fighting against each other for one petty reason after another. The guards that were supposed to stand by the garden entrance left their post to stop the squabbling brats.
This was madness.
Who can be doing this?
Adam could only look on at the madness that was around him. Just a minute ago everything was just fine.
He turns to see Elise at the garden entrance blowing a kiss at him. He could prevent his blush as he gritted his teeth.
She is going to pay for this.
Without hesitation, Adam ran after Elise since the castle guards were too busy dealing with the children at the moment time to take notice of the absence of the prince.
Unknown to everyone, one of the castle servants witnessed the whole scene and couldn't help but smile.
That had gone better than she'd hoped for.
Elise's parents had told her that the nobility was full of hotheads, but she didn't think it would be that easy to trick them.
It just took a little white lie, a couple of pinches, and a few well-placed rumors.
Lady Grey would be proud of such manipulation.
It's too bad that even with her intelligence she had settled for being a trophy wife for some noble, as much she may hate it.
Though if she does have the choice to pick a husband, it would probably be the prince she just outfoxed. He was kind of cute, though a bit uptight.
Elise shook her head and pushed down such a thought.
This was not the time. If she doesn't get to see the Warrior Queen, she will regret it for the rest of her life.
"Gotcha, yeah!" Elise was suddenly grabbed by the prince that she fooled.
"A-Adam!" she stutters as beads of sweat fell from her forehead
"You're under arrest," Adam said with a firm voice mimicking his mother's Warrior Queen persona, pulling Elise towards him and lifting her up onto his shoulder like a sack of flour.
"Oh, come on!" she whined, "You can't really be serious about dragging me like this back to that den of hornets."
"I am," Adam answered bluntly as eyebrow twitches in irritation, he couldn't wait to see the punishment this brat will be having.
"But couldn't you just let…"
"No."
"But what about…"
"No."
"We can see…"
"No."
"You didn't even let me finish."
"The answer is still no."
Elise folded her arms as she sulked over being manhandled by this uptight. "You have a huge stick up your bum, you know that?"
Adam's eyebrow twitched. He really couldn't wait for the punishment that his little Skorm spawn would be receiving. "And you're a spoiled, noble."
Elise snorted, "Like you're the one talk, Sir Rum Bum."
So much for her deception. All that hard work flies out the window. There must be something she could do to reach the gathering. But with Sir Mopey treating her like a sack of potatoes, there is nothing she can do.
Maybe, she can-
Elise's thought was cut off, as heard someone whistle in the far distance of the castle hallway. Suddenly an imaginary lit candle pops up over Elise's head.
That's it.
"Can you at least put me down, you are obviously stronger and faster than me." She pleaded with an all too sweet smile as she clasps her hands together.
Adam narrows his eyes, trying to figure out what the girl was playing. "And why would I do that?"
Elise just shrugged her shoulders, "Fine, if you want my hind so bad you can enjoy the view."
Adam stops his tracks as multiple tick marks appear on his forehead. His eyebrow twitches with each second, fists clenching and lets a deep breath. "Fine." He grunted as he put the noble brat onto the ground, still holding her wrist in case she tried to escape.
The girl smiles brightly at the gesture which only added to Adam's suspicion of her.
"Good evening, Your Grace," he heard the castle guard's voice. "I beg your pardon, my lord, but shouldn't you two be with the other nobles?"
Adam tilts his head wondering where the guard came from. "I'm sorry guardsmen, we are going right away, I was just..."
"Showing me the castle!" Elise chimed in as she clings Adam's arm.
The guard narrowed his eyes as his attention was turned to the blonde girl clinging to the Prince's arm like a sticky bun. Adam could only turn red at her antics.
The guard let out a short chuckle at the duo.
"Very well, you two kids can have time for yourselves for a bit. Just remember, Your Grace, to return the young lady to the garden."
Adam's eyes bug out, seeing the game the girl is playing.
"She…"
Adam was cut off as two small hands cupped his face as Elise pressed her lips towards Adam.
The guard let out a small chuckle as he made to leave. "Well, I won't interrupt, just remember to return with other nobles."
As Elise let Adam go, shades of red appeared on both of their cheeks.
Adam, flabbergasted, blinked rapidly, wondering what just had happened.
That was his first kiss, father and mother kiss him, surely. But never on the lips, what was he supposed to do next, is he supposed to marry her?
Adam doesn't want to get married; he wants to be a Hero, not a husband.
What was he supposed to do?
When Adam came out of his shock, he realized he was all alone.
He gritted his teeth, his blood boiling.
"THAT WITCH!" Adam yelled atop his lungs. "When I find her, I am…"
"Marry me."
Adam turned and saw Elise hiding behind a suit of medieval armor.
"You!" Adam growled, but Elise paid no heed as she walked towards him.
"Well, are you going to marry me?"
Adam folded his arms and huffed. "Why would I want to marry a brat like you?"
"Well…" Elise lingers seeing that she might be pushing her luck with the Prince. "When you kiss someone, you often marry them. That's what I read from my novels." Elise tilted her, "Hey if I kissed you does that mean I have to buy a ring?" she pouted as she kicked the castle's blue carpet. "Well pooh, here I thought I would have a diamond ring on my cold lonely finger."
Adam's cheeks were still red as he gave her answer. "I AM NOT MARRYING YOU!"
Elise burst into laughter.
It was far too easy pushing his buttons.
"Well, here I thought I could be the next queen of Albion. You are truly a cruel prince." She mocked hurt, like a cheesy actor.
Adam pinches the bridge of his nose, letting out a deep exasperated breath.
"Why do you want to go to the gathering so badly?"
Elise gawked at him as if he just asked a really stupid question. "Why wouldn't I go?" Adam just blinks at her wondering what she was going on about. "The great Alex Black, the Warrior Queen of Albion is going to inform new policies for Albion."
Adam shrugs. "I don't see the big deal."
Elise snorted as she crossed her arms. "That's because you're a brute."
"And you're a witch."
"I would rather be a witch, than a mindless brute."
Adam fumed, why couldn't she just leave, when he was in a daze?
Wait a minute.
"Why didn't you just leave, when you kissed me?"
Elise blinked as she nervously fiddles her fingers "Well… you were fun to hang out with and I was wondering… Would you like to come with me to the gathering?"
Adam gave her a bored expression and a blank stare. "You put me through all that and you think I'm going to come with you?"
Elise frowned.
Bloody void, she should have ditched him when she had the chance. She just hopes Adam won't tell her parents what she did or she will be pulling on weeds for the entire summer.
Seeing the girl's disappointment Adam let out an exhausted breath. She caused this much trouble, so he might as well see what the fuss about. Despite being dragged into the chaos this brat caused, he had to admit that seeing all those spoiled brats fighting was a bright spot in his day.
Avo forgive him.
"Okay."
"REALLY!?" Elise beamed at Adam with a wide smile. Maybe Sir Grumpy wasn't so bad after all.
Adam nonchalantly shrugs his shoulder, "Besides, after Lord and Lady Oak find out about the stunt you pulled, you'll probably be shoving manure for the rest of your life."
Elise gawked at him.
On second thought, that boy is Skorm.
This is not how Adam imagined his day would go - him escorting a cute but annoying girl to the ballroom.
Luckily castle guards didn't pay any attention to them beyond keeping an eye on them to ensure their safety. Given how many guards were around, Adam couldn't help but wonder what exactly was her plan to get into the ballroom. If she caused that much chaos in the garden, he sure that she has a way to sneak right in. Given his experiences with her, she likely already had some petty lies and excuses to get them in.
They hid in the corner of the hallway out of sight from where five castle guards were blocking the entrance.
Adam turned to Elise nodding, as he made a hand sign gesture that his mother taught him.
Elise tilts her head, confused by the prince's gesture, "What?"
Adam's eyebrow twitched. He was really tired of playing this game, "What do you mean 'what'? Didn't you have any plan to go through the castle guards?"
If looks could kill, Elise would have been burnt to a crisp by now, "Well…" she mumbled, fiddling with her index fingers before sheepishly answering. "I was thinking… of telling the guards… that there were Hobbes at the Castle kitchen."
…
…
…
…
…
…
…
"WHAT?!" Adam yelled at the top of his lungs, gaining the attention of the guards. Elise placed her hands over his big mouth, shutting him up which only added more fuel to his temper.
"Okay, okay, maybe there was a slight hiccup in my masterful plan," Elise scratched the back of her head, avoiding Adam's deadly gaze.
Maybe she hadn't thought things through as well she thought she had.
Adam let out a deep breath, as he counts to ten. Whatever this girl wants in the ballroom it better be worth it.
"If you're done with your masterful plan, I think I have a way to sneak inside, but it's dangerous."
Elise tilted her head and placed her index finger on her chin, wondering what he meant.
Elise couldn't help but gawk in awe. Before her were rows and layers of bookcases filled to the brim with books that had long since been forgotten in Albion. She had heard rumors of the previous owner, Lucien Fairfax, who owned the castle when it had still been Fairfax Castle, had collected hordes of books relating to the once-fabled Old Kingdom.
Her parents always go on and on about the terror Lucien brought to Albion with his mad attempt at building the Tattered Spire. She just couldn't fathom that a fellow bookworm could harm a fly. She had thought that someone with as much knowledge as he would make the world a better place, but the stories her parents told said otherwise.
He had started a slave trade and created abominations that were meant to fight the likes of legendary heroes like the Hero King. The victims that the King brought from the land of the dead with his selfless wish in the Tattered Spire validated these rumors.
Lucien was a monster.
Her parents also told her the King and Lucien had an unpleasant history with each other.
She couldn't help but wonder if that was true or not. If it were true that his Majesty hated Lucien so much, why would he choose to live in the same castle as he had?
Elise shook her head to clear her thoughts so she could focus on the matter at hand.
Adam was pressing his ear to the library walls.
Elise tilted her head wondering if Adam was trying to find a secret passage. She had overheard some of the castle staff say that there were numerous secret passages that even his Majesty hadn't found yet.
"Are you trying to find one of the secret passages?" Elise walked towards Adam who was moving his hand all over the wall, his ear still pressed firmly against it.
"I'm not trying," Adam retorted as he bit his tongue trying to find that damn switch, "It's right… here!"
There was a loud click as one of the bookcases made a slight budge as the two children felt a slight breeze coming from the shelves.
Elise's eyes bugged out like dinner plates, her mouth agape. Adam bumps his chest in pride, looking like he finally got the one up on her.
"That's one of the castle's secret entrances," Elise quivered, her legs shaking as she just stared blankly into the dark room.
"Yup! So, are we going or not?" Adam asked her as he yanked on the bookshelf a bit to make enough space for the two of them to easily slip inside.
"WHAT!?" Elise shriek.
"I said, are we going or not?" Adam repeated, with a smug smirk. "Unless you're afraid of the dark?"
Elise folded her arms, snorted. "As if, only scaredy-cats are scared of the dark." she protested, her legs shaking like a leaf.
"Then let's get going."
Without hesitation, Adam steps into the dark room, leaving a nervous Elise all to herself.
Elise swallows the nervous lump in her throat as all she can do, stare into the dark abyss.
Why does it have to be a big dark scary room?
Why couldn't the secret passage be a magical realm filled with toys and candies? Like those magical Demon Doors, the Hero King and the Warrior Queen met in their epic tales.
Elise slaps her cheeks doing her best to suppress the little voice in her head telling her to just walk away and go back to the garden with the other children.
No!
She came this far. If she gets into trouble, she is at least going to witness the new changes of Albion first hand.
With a deep breath, Elise took one foot forward into the secret passage.
A deep crimson hue of red plastered the young prince's cheeks as the once so-called 'witch' was slinging his arm like a leech.
By Avo's Grace, Adam tried to regain his composure as best as he could, but a cute girl hugging his arm like he was some kind of teddy bear made it near impossible to concentrate. He couldn't help but enjoy this feeling. He wonders if his father had this feeling too when his mother got close to him.
"How could, you know where you're going when it's dark as night in here?" Elise complains as she takes care not to lose herself in the vast darkness.
"It's not that dark." Adam retorted as he and Elise went up the stairs of the secret passage.
Elise leans the left side of her ear to him as if her hearing was gone as well her sight. "You tell me you can see where we're going?"
Adam raised an eyebrow, "You can't?"
"Of course, I can't!" Elise retorted, "I would need to be a bloody Balverine to see where I'm going."
"Well, if I was Balverine, I'll be sure to blow your house down and make a treat out of you for dinner." Adam joked, which earns a few giggles from Elise.
"So, Sir Mopey does have a sense of humor. Here I thought you were born stiff."
"Hey!" Adam retorted slightly offended, "I can tell jokes if I want to."
"Yeah… right." She lingers, skeptical. "I'm sure you were a real laugh standing like a guard's lackey at the gathering."
"There was no one else there but noble brats."
Elise let out a short chuckle. "Well, here I thought you had more brawn than brain… I can't stand those little Hobbes either."
Adam raised an eyebrow, wondering what the girl was saying. "Aren't you the heir of Oakfield?" he asks in disbelief at hearing a noble hating their own kind.
Elise snorted at the prince's accusation. "My family started out as refugees of the once lost Oakvale. The Oak motto is that 'you either feast together or starve together'."
Adam couldn't help but nod in agreement, he wished more houses had that motto beaten into their skull. It might have prevented the Aristocratic War from happening.
"If that's true, why did you drag me into this?"
"You brought yourself, I never asked you to come with me. And besides, your family is different from the rest. You don't have that pompous attitude most nobles have."
Adam blinked and cleaned the right side of his ear with his pinkie finger to see if he heard her right.
"Was that a compliment?"
"You can take it however you like."
After their little exchange, they continue on the way to their destination, Elise still couldn't see a blasted thing. She really hopes that Sir Mopey does actually know where he's going. She had read stories that the decadents of Heroes have sharper senses than a normal person. Maybe that's how Adam was able to know where he's going or lift her up like a sack of potatoes.
Can he also use magic like the Hero King?
The sheer thought of shooting lightning and or creating fire by thought alone, was just…
"We're here."
Elise thought was cut short as Adam let go of her hand and saw a bright light illuminate the dark room. She took a step closer as the light began to dim and her vision began to clear.
Elise gasped when she saw the window decorated with a stained-glass mural of a knight donned in a pure white suit of shining armor. He stood tall and fearless with his metal boot placed atop of a defeated dragon's head with his sword held up high. There were inscriptions forged onto the long blade, which she could only assume was the script once used in the Old Kingdom.
The writing looked similar to the ones she had seen in the ruins surrounding Oakfield, specifically around the Temple of Light. But what stood out to her was decorating the sword's blue hilt. It was the crest of House Black, or as it had also once been known as the seal of the Heroes Guild.
"Is that Chaser Rose?!" Elise turned to Adam in excitement, "The Hero of Oakvale!"
"That's right!" Adam puffed his chest out in pride with a smirk. "The noble hero of his time, his heart was so pure that he was bestowed the legendary sword the Avo's Tear. He's also wearing the Archon's Battle Armor, but that's not why we're here."
Adam placed his hand onto the mural causing the stained-window to rotate revealing yet another passage.
Elise took a hasty step out of the window entrance. What she saw before her she couldn't believe it.
The room filled with murals, all of them dedicated to the Hero of Oakvale's mightiest triumphs and struggles.
Elise gawked unable to process just what she is seeing, it was like being inside a rainbow. Sure, she goes to the Temple on Sundays, more like dragged there by her parents, but the only highlight of going to the Temple of Light was the beautiful glass mural at the Temple. But here was a dedication to the Hero of Oakvale.
A mural of Scarlet Rose, settling down in Oakvale.
The burning village of Oakvale, and the raid led by the Jack of Blades.
The Hero of Oakvale gazing over Albion, protecting the beautiful land from a dragon whom Elise assumes is the Jack of Blades. "What is this place?"
Adam shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know either, I stumbled upon it a year ago and not even my parents know about it."
Elise's lips curl to a mischievous smirk. "So, Sir Killjoy has his own secret. Here I thought you were a taleteller."
Adam frowns, his face turning crimson red.
Why had he even brought her here?
Sure, she was cute, but she was a headache to spend one minute with.
"Do you want to go to the gathering or not?"
"If you are so kind." Elise tilts her skirt like a proper lady Albion should, well that's what her parents told her.
Blushing, Adam huffed, just wanting to get this over with. He led Elise over to the mural of the destruction of Oakvale, caused by the Jack of Blades, and rotated it as he had with the other.
Once again, they had to enter another dark passage, much to Elise's dismay.
Yet again, Adam led her by the hand, until he suddenly stopped and Elise heard something move. What came next was yet another glimpse of light, though this dimmer than what she had seen in the mural room.
Elise let go of Adam's hand and took the first step out and suddenly tripped. She would have fallen if Adam hadn't immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to him holding them together.
"Hey… what was that… for?" Elise stumbles on her words as her cheeks turn red.
Adam pointed to the floor below them where there were other nobles and Queen Alex. The duo was standing on a ledge in the ballroom. There was enough of a small passage for the children to pass through, unnoticed by the other adults.
Elise gulped, seeing how close she had been to becoming a pancake. "Next time follow my lead," Adam told her sternly which Elise could only shakily nod her head.
The two lay down in the corridor that led them here to make sure nobody spotted them, as Queen Alex stepped away from the ballroom balcony with Japer at her side.
Alex let out a deep breath. Dealing with the squabbling aristocrats has left her shoulders feeling tense. She made a mental note to give 'Little Sparrow' a stern talk to when he finished his business in Wraithmarsh.
Alex stared down at the nobility from her place on the balcony where she could see them all clearly. Quickly the idle chatter amongst them died down as their attention turned to their Queen. Sometimes she missed just being another face in the crowd of nobility when she could exploit their dirty secrets and watch as they bring themselves to their ruin with their own vanity.
Alex's lips curled into a friendly smile, the best she could manage, once she was sure she had their attention. "My Lords and Ladies, I welcome you to Bowerstone Castle. MY apologies, but his grace William Black will not be attending for the new reformation of Albion."
This sudden news released a storm of questions and demands from the crowd. Some were reasonable, but others scathingly made remarks over the King's sheer audacity to attend the gathering he set up after they had all traveled to Bowerstone, only to hand it over to his Queen.
Alex let out an exasperated breath as her grip tightened on the Scepter. William, you better make up for this.
With a mighty swing of her Royal Scepter onto the balcony banister, it crumbled to the ground.
A satisfied smirk was engraved on the queen's features as the nobles' complaints were immediately silenced.
However, Jasper's perfect posture faltered with exasperation as he pinched the bridge of his nose. As much as he would love to see her smite the whole nobility, he wished the queen would be more pragmatic as this could cause more problems for the reformation.
Alex clears her throat, "Again, my apologies but my husband won't be attending right now. His grace would return shortly, but the matter he deals with is for the safety of Albion." The hint of information once again gathers the attention of the lords and ladies, and any dispute they had for the queen were immediately dashed away.
The fact His Grace was personally dealing with a matter regarding Albion's safety was not to be scoffed at. It was well known that the king still faced Lucien's lingering tyranny in the form of the horrors and abominations the madman had created that still roamed Albion's lands. The Tattered Spire had been the worst of his deeds, and while the king spared his people no secrets of what exactly the tyrant had done in his lifetime, it was possibly a new threat had emerged.
One of the nobles spoke out.
"Your Grace, should the need of His Majesty's absence not be more apparent?"
Alex shook her head. "As of now, the king's whereabouts is concealed for the safety of the kingdom, further news of his departure will be established upon his return. However, before His Grace's departure, he informed me that if he was absent from the gathering to continue without him."
The news did not ease their worries.
Alex let out a deep, exhausted breath. The chaos Lucien had unleashed was still engraved in Albion's history to this day. She shudders at the idea of how Albion will handle themselves without a Hero to save them. There was also Theresa's prophecy, which wasn't helping her nerves either.
"Please reserve your questions until the end of the gathering, "Alex declared, silencing the room. "Since the day of my husband's coronation Albion has taken steps to recover itself from the horrors Lucien caused and the lives lost in the Aristocratic War." Subtle but hostile stares passed around in the crowd, everyone remembered the betrayals and raids clearly. "To prevent such tragedies from happening again a new system will be established for the safety of the kingdom."
The news didn't surprise them. They were aware of the reformation that was going on in Albion. Everyone in attendance suspected this was the whole purpose of the gathering.
The king and queen had declared many new policies in Albion, they had been prudent about dealing with the state of justice. Before the Hero King took his throne, the fate of the peasants had been in the hands of the nobility but now they were restricted from passing judgment. Judges appointed by the king have been established as well as a system that His Grace called 'Due Process'.
This served to only anger the nobility as not only did they lose the right to judge on their own land, but the king had begun appointing commoners who had been given an "education" as judges.
It was all thanks to the establishment of the Brightwall Academy, the current highest form of education in the land that all matter of people was welcome to join. If it wasn't for the list of horrors still roaming Albion many of the nobles would have attempted to have this peasant king assassinated.
"To ease the struggles of Albion, a senate will be established. The Lords would send a representative of their land to act as voices for each region." Alex explained, "These representatives will settle disputes of each region. Each lord will work with each other and will request aid from the king or queen to reach a verdict when necessary. To prevent chaos cases such as no remaining heir of the region will be handled by the king or queen to pick a new lord for the region.
Now to pull the wool from under the rug.
"Furthermore, any noble, heir or commoner is allowed to be a representative for their region of the Lord's choosing, which could be subverted by the current king or queen of Albion's choosing. Ultimately the king or queen of Albion will be the one to reach a verdict of each case." Alex let out a deep breath, preparing herself for the upcoming barrage. "Are there any questions?"
"This was amazing!" Elise gleamed as her body shook in anticipation.
Both Adam and Elise have been yet again walking down the dark secret passage of the castle. The two children left the gathering before the queen could answer any other questions. They already spent enough time apart from the other kids, and they don't want to be in any more trouble than they already were.
It was only a matter of time the guards took notice of their absence.
Opposite to the girl clinging to his arm, Adam didn't know what the big commotion was for. All it meant was that more nobles from other families were going to stay at the castle more often.
Adam let out an annoyed huff, just great, more nobles to need to deal with.
"I don't get what the big deal?" he shrugged.
Elise stared at him as her jaw went slack. "NOT A BIG DEAL! IT'S A HUGE DEAL!" Elise yelled, loud enough for the prince to go deaf.
"It's just some nobles living in the castle more often," Adam stated as he cleans the ear that Elise shouted with his pinky finger.
Elise let go of Adam's arm as her cheeks puffed, her hands on her hips as she glared at the prince. At least Elise hoped she was glaring at him.
She still couldn't see a blasting thing in this room.
"Don't you get it, representatives across Albion would get a voice to discuss trade, relations, and form a dialect. Not only that, but commoners can also be represented in their respected region."
Adam scratches the back of his head, "I still don't get it?"
Elise let out an exhausted breath, it looks like she has to take baby steps with him. "His Majesty, opened Brightwall Academy for everyone to attend, given a couple of years and the concept of nobility will be the thing of the past."
Adam just gawked at the girl, speechless. "That means, normal people will get more power in the king and queen's court."
"Mother and father said this would happen, but I never thought it would happen so soon."
Adam raised a suspicious eyebrow, "You don't seem even a bit worried about your family possibly losing their power one day."
Elise just shrugged, "My family never had a high opinion of other nobles, and other lords usually target us."
Adam's eyes widen as he stumbles for his words, "I'm… sorry, I didn't know."
Elise gave a short huff, "I didn't think you cared. After all, I'm just a spoiled noble."
Adam's eyebrow twitches, whatever sympathy he had for her was starting to fade away. "Well, that mess in the gathering didn't prove otherwise."
"Well, at least I, I have…" Elise stopped in her tracks as her vision began to become clearer than before, turning so she could see Adam's face more clearly than before. Elise's heart began to race and she swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. As she let go of Adam's hand, she took a step forward to the boy. "Someone's here…" Elise muttered under her breath, feeling her heart beating faster by each second.
Adam gave her a concerned look, barely hearing what she said as he placed a comforting hand onto her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Elise shook her head frantically as her teeth began to chatter, of course, she was not bloody okay. Someone has been following them, they need to get out of here.
Elise grabbed Adam's hand that rested on her shoulder and basically, manhandled the prince as she ran to the castle library passage while dragging Adam in tow.
"Hey! What's going on?" Adam asked, concerned about the girl's sudden shift in attitude. He was about to force himself out of Elise's small grasp until his eye widened as he saw that the door to the library's passage was wide open.
The two made it out of the secret passage. Elise, catching her breath, let go of Adam's hand and knelt on the floor. She used all her might in dragging Adam's royal rear as fast she could.
Adam said only he knew the secret passages of Bowerstone castle, meaning someone was following them, waiting for the chance for the two being alone.
Adam stood in front of Elise as he placed both hands on her shoulders trying to help the girl to stand up.
"Elise are you okay?"
Still gathering her breath, Elise looks up to see a worried Adam, her eyes widening in horror. Behind him were five grown men, each of them wearing the castle staff uniform, all except for the one in the middle wearing a castle guard uniform. Elise recognizes one of the guards she and Adam bumped into.
Elise could only gawk at disbelief, her dread intensified tenfold.
What had she done?