Land of the King
Chapter 33: Mongrel
2993 E.L.
Arvedui was feeling quite nervous. It was not often that the young prince defied his parents but this was one such occasion. He wanted to see the city.
That is not to say that Arvedui had never been allowed into the city before, but it had always been with a large complement of guards, coddling him and keeping him from properly meeting the people or even experiencing the city properly. That was no good.
Arvedui may be young, at five and ten years he was still a decade short of maturity, but he was not stupid. His claim to the throne was built on very shaky foundations.
His father, Prince Araphant, had broken tradition and the laws of Arnor to wed his mother, Princess Lyarra of Winterfell. To many, Arvedui was little more than a half-blood mongrel, unworthy of one day holding the Sceptre of Elendil.
Arvedui wanted, needed, to see his people. To see if they truly thought of him in that way. How was he to rule a people who did not wish him to be their king?
So he had snuck out of Amon Erain, away from his escorts and guards, and into the city. He wanted to experience what life was like without the pampered protection afforded to him because of his status.
That being said, He had a feeling he had overestimated his own ability to navigate the maze that was the Jewel of the West, Annúminas the Golden.
The streets were wide and cobbled, winding around houses built of stone and wood. People crowded around Arvedui, making it hard for him to find his way at times.
Everywhere he turned, he could see stalls full of goods, jewelry, food and other stuffs. The air was loud with the noise of arguments and bartering and the easily recognizable clinging noise of the castar gold coin, Arnor's main currency.
The hustle and bustle of the city was almost too overwhelming for the young prince who was quite used to the streets often being cleared for his passing.
I see. So this is how it would be for any normal citizen of the Realm.
It seemed that somehow, Arvedui had made his way to one of the main markets in the city, close to the port where ships of all shapes and sizes from faraway lands had come and docked.
In the distance, Arvedui could see ships filling the entire harbour. The swan ships of the Summer Isles, the junks of distant, Qarth, Yi Ti, and Asshai, the dromonds of Valyria and Sarnor, even a few cogs from his mother's homeland, all were present and moored in the harbor of Annúminas. All of them having come a vast distance to trade and do business in the greatest city in the world.
Annúminas was not called 'the Golden for no reason after all. Amon Erain was perhaps the greatest know vein of gold in all the Known World, and in a show of their majesty and wealth, the Kings of Arnor had gilded many of the monuments and buildings in a style similar to what the scholars said had been found in Old Armenelos, the fabled capital of Númenor.
It was a truly breathtaking sight, and a humbling one as well. This entire city was a monument to the power and accomplishments of his line, the legacy of their heritage. It would one day be his duty to serve as custodian of that legacy. Arvedui was not sure if he was capable of doing it, yet he still desired a chance to prove himself capable. Should the Purists get their way, he would never even get that opportunity.
Even now, years after his grandfather had repealed the Act of Succession, they were still trying to persuade him to disinherit Arvedui and his father, Araphant. All their attempts so far had failed, yet Arvedui was concerned they may succeed one day. He was comforted slightly in the knowledge that his father would not allow their rights to be so easily trampled upon.
Arvedui's thoughts were interrupted by a disturbance in the marketplace. Ahead of him, a noblemen had grabbed what appeared to be a street urchin by the scruff of their neck and was busy lecturing them.
To Arvedui, who had not seen how the incident had started, this seemed unfair and unnecessary. He stepped forward to learn what was going on but before he could do so, the noble had dragged the street kid with him into a nearby alley, his two guards following closely. Becoming suspicious, Arvedui snuck behind them and followed them.
When he entered the alley, Arvedui found that the noble had pinned the boy against the wall. He moved closer to hear what the man was saying.
"Tell me kid, what makes you think that you can steal from me?" the noble asked?
Whether out of fear or simply spite Arvedui did not know but the street urchin refused to answer.
"Oh? Perhaps this will loosen your tongue a little," the noble said as he drew his dagger out of its scabbard and held it to the throat of the urchin.
"I wonder what I should do with a dirty little mongrel like you eh? Thinking to steal from your betters? Do you know what the punishment for stealing is? The price is your hand. Which would you rather, the left or the right? Well? Speak quickly."
Arvedui could not bring himself to stay silent anymore and he made his presence clear.
"What exactly was his crime? I hardly think you need to be so harsh on this poor boy my good sir."
The nobleman and his two guards turned to see Arvedui standing at the entrance of the alley.
The noble sighed, "Go away boy. This has nothing to do with you."
"Oh? Is it not the duty of every citizen to try and prevent wrongdoings in the kingdom if they can?" Arvedui asked cheekily.
The nobleman looked annoyed but humored Arvedui, handing the urchin over to his guards to hold.
"And what exactly am I doing wrong? Since you are so smart boy, let me know."
"Taking the law into you own hands for one. You should have handed him over to the City Guard to deal with. I also distinctly remember that chopping of the hands of those below the age of eighteen for stealing was outlawed quite a few centuries ago for being needlessly inhumane and cruel."
"You'd be remembering wrong. I'm the son of a lord, I'm sure I would know the law far better than a random commoner that came out of nowhere. Last warning, go in peace and nothing bad will happen to you. If it makes you feel any better, I won't be harming this one… much, simply exacting justice for his crime," the noble said, gesturing to the street urchin who was still being held captive by the man's two guards.
It was Arvedui's turn to sigh now, he had not wanted to break his cover, but as a Prince of Arnor, he could not let something so unjust happen to one of his subjects, no matter how poor or impure they may be.
"Who said I was a commoner?"
That got the noble's attention.
"Oh, if you're trying to claim to be a noble so you can save this mongrel, it won't work. Nice try boy."
"I'm not a noble either. You my lord, have the pleasure of addressing His Highness, Prince Arvedui, and he is ordering you right now to desist and release this boy or suffer the wrath of the Sceptre," Arvedui declared.
The noble squinted before apparently recognizing Arvedui.
"I see now. Yes, it is you. I have seen you around court before."
"I cannot say the same my lord, regrettably you were rather unmemorable before today's events."
The noble gestured to his guards, and following his orders, they punched the street urchin in the stomach before letting him collapse to the ground in pain.
Arvedui became angry at that but he soon realized he had bigger problems. Revealing his identity had not worked as well as he thought. In fact, it seemed it had now put him in danger as well as within moments, the noble's guards had flanked Arvedui and blocked his exit.
The noble himself casually approached Arvedui, dagger in hand.
"Well what have we here? And here I was thinking that I would only have to deal with one mongrel today but no, the Mongrel Prince himself has honored me with his presence. Please, do forgive my impertinence, Your Highness," the noble said, before bowing mockingly.
"Well? Will you release him then?" Arvedui demanded.
"Oh yes, yes I will. It seems I have no choice if royalty has demanded I do so. Then again, a mongrel like you could hardly be considered royalty so I am in a bit of a dilemma," the noble said, his voice still maintaining a mocking tone which made Arvedui want to punch him in his smug face.
"This mongrel happens to be the second in line to the Sceptre, I would advise you to watch your words my lord, you could lose your tongue for slandering a member of the Royal Family."
"I would not be so sure of that if I were you my dear prince. But then I digress. After all, I am not the one who is the half-blood mongrel son of some foreign whore."
Arvedui's rage had reached boiling point now, "What did you say about my mother!?' he growled.
"No need to be so offended my prince. It is simply the truth. After all, what else could she be called? She seduced the Crown Prince and made him forget his duties and responsibilities so she could place her mongrel spawn in the line of succession to the greatest kingdom in the world. Such a woman is little more than a gold-digger, one who sold her body for profit. She could hardly be called anything but a whore. Why-"
Whatever else the noble had wished to say, they would never find out because in that moment, Arvedui saw red and his fist connected with the man's face.
Unfortunately, before he could land a second hit, the man's guards had restrained Arvedui and with a punch to the stomach just like they had done with the urchin, they forced him to his knees.
Carefully, the man placed his blade under Arvedui's throat, forcing him to look up into the noble's cold, evil eyes.
"Killing you would make things so easy. We could all rest, assured that some half-blood mongrel will not sully the throne. Even your name is an omen of ill, it would be a disaster if we ever let you ascend."
Arvedui felt fear now. Was he really about to die here in some alley to this absolutely horrible human being?
There was no hesitation in the man's cold grey eyes. Arvedui closed his own and waited for death.
Mother, Father, Grandfather, I'm so sorry.
Yet the cold bite of the steel slashing through his neck never came. In that moment, a sword thrust straight through the abdomen of one of the man's guards from behind whilst a hand grabbed the back of Arvedui's doublet and dragged him back to safety in an instant.
Quickly, Arvedui turned to see who had come to his rescue and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his older cousin Argeleb.
Argeleb's eyes held no mercy as he cut down the other guard before easily disarming the noble.
Faced with a foe superior to himself for once, the arrogant noble could only cower as he crawled backwards against the alley wall, Argeleb's sword at his throat.
"And what exactly, do you think you were doing with my cousin?"
His voice was silent. Almost like a whisper, but somehow it made him sound even more furious and dangerous.
"N-nothing Prince Argeleb! I was only teaching your royal cousin a lesson in the harsh ways of the world before escorting him back to the palace, I swear!"
Argeleb looked back at Arvedui, "Is that true Cousin?"
"He had a knife to my throat. I am sure he had no intentions of harming me whatsoever," Arvedui replied sarcastically.
"Thought so," Argeleb replied before turning back to the arrogant noble, "I should kill you where you are, but I think I'll leave your fate to our grandfather to decide. Any punishment he chooses would be far better than anything I could come up with."
The noble could only whimper before Argeleb's wrath.
With his sword at his neck, Argeleb began marching the man out the alley, Arvedui at his side.
"Thank you Cousin. I don't know if I could have made it out without you, but how did you know where to find me?"
"You really are reckless Arvedui. I saw you in the marketplace and started following you to make sure you were safe but I lost track of you. Along the way I ran into this kid over here and he helped me find you," Argeleb said, pointing to the entrance of the alleyway where Arvedui was a bit surprised to see the street urchin from earlier standing.
It seemed that with the noble preoccupied with him, the urchin had recovered and run off. Arvedui would have thought he would simply run and forget about him but it seemed he had gone to get help.
"Thank you for that. You saved my life. I will not forget that debt. What is your name friend?" Arvedui asked him.
"Kevan, Your Highness."
"And where are your parents Kevan? I would like to thank them as well for raising an upstanding man like you."
"I have none Your Higness. Haven't for a long time."
Arvedui winced, yet in hindsight it was obvious the kid was an orphan. "I see. And do you have anywhere else you could go? Anyone to take care of you?"
"No Your Highness."
"That's why you were stealing weren't you?"
"That's correct Your Highness."
Arvedui had his hand at his chin, thinking on how he could repay this kid for saving his life.
"Well then Kevan, congratulations. From this day onwards, you are to be the personal attendant of a Prince of Arnor. No need to thank me or anything just say yes."
"Arvedui?" Argeleb asked but he waved him off.
Kevan was astounded, likely expecting only some gold for his trouble. Arvedui decided to make his decision easier.
"You'll have all your food provided for you. You'd never have to worry about going hungry ever again."
That seemed to do it as the next moment, Kevan was tripping over himself to accept.
"Excellent. How old are you by the way?" Arvedui questioned, curious.
"I believe I'm fifteen Your Highness, although I'm not sure."
Fifteen huh. They were the same age. You wouldn't think that since Arvedui was almost a whole head taller than Kevan.
"I think you and I will get along swimmingly Kevan."
Arvedui received perhaps the worst scolding of his life when they returned to Amon Erain. He had been lectured and then grounded until further notice, never to be out of sight of his guards, even when in the bathroom for goodness sake!
His parents had taken well to Kevan however and had thanked him and Argeleb for saving their stupid son.
His grandfather had been extremely wroth when he heard that his grandson had almost been killed and had the one responsible flayed and then beheaded, his head put on a spike for all to see and know the price for daring to harm a Prince of the Blood.
Such barbarism had shocked the young prince a great deal. His grandfather wanted to make an example and refused to have the head removed, even when the father of the criminal protested.
His grandfather had then coldly ordered him to shut up or join his late son on the spike adorning the castle gates.
Currently Arvedui was confined to his quarters as part of his punishment.
He was to stay in here for a few days, not allowed to do anything else until his father was satisfied he had reflected on his misdeeds.
As he twiddled his thumbs lying down on the bed, Arvedui heard the guard being dismissed and sat upright to see his father at the door.
"Well…?"
"I've realized that it was wrong of me to sneak away from my guards and into the city. It was very reckless and dangerous and it almost got me killed."
"I sense a but there."
"But I stand by my point Father. I need to know my people, or they will never accept me."
His father sighed before sitting beside Arvedui on the bed.
"He called her a whore," Arvedui said angrily.
"Who?" his father asked.
"That man, the noble who tried to kill me. He said mother was a whore, a gold-digger who had seduced the Crown Prince so she could put her mongrel spawn on the throne of Arnor."
"You shouldn't listen to filth Arvedui."
"Yet that one man thinks like that is troubling for where there is one there will always be more. Do they all think like that Father? That I am just a mongrel who will sully the throne and Mother little more than a gold-digging whore? How am I to rule these people one day?"
His father sighed, "Yes. There are many who think like this but there are many more who do not. When the time comes you will need to be a strong king, perfect in every way you can be to give them no fault, no weakness they can latch onto and discredit you."
"And what if they refuse to even acknowledge me as their king? What then?" Arvedui questioned.
"I… I don't know. That shouldn't happen though. Despite your shrew of an aunt, your uncle Calimir is too timid to start a rebellion and your cousin Argeleb too loyal. Any uprising needs either of them as the figurehead or it will go nowhere."
The conversation died for a while after that. Both father and son awkwardly sitting in the silence before Arvedui broke it again.
"Do ever regret it?"
"What?"
"Marrying Mother."
His father was silent then. Arvedui turned to his father and saw him wearing a masked expression.
"I will never regret it. But I regret that it caused all of this. I married your mother because I loved her, I never wanted to cause any of this."
"Yet you did. Why, why did you give me this name? They use it to taunt me you know? Use it against me! They whisper that I will be the last king if I am allowed to ascend!"
His father grimaced then, "There was a prophecy made to your mother and I when you were born."
"A prophecy?" Arvedui asked confused.
And so Araphant recited the prophecy to him, troubling Arvedui.
"I see… so they're right. I really will be the last king. I should just abdicate the throne to Argeleb if that's the case,' he said, despondent.
"No. I gave you that name as a warning to our people Arvedui. They must make the right choice or our realm will end."
"What even is this choice? And do you think they will?"
"I… I don't know, but I have faith that our people will choose wisely," his father answered.
His father's words did little to assure Arvedui who remained troubled and uncertain.
That night, and many nights after, his dreams would be filled with visions of prophecy, battles, and war.
