Our Immortal Souls
.:Chapter 2:.
The royal dining table was a mess. Half finished plates covered the dark wood; there where several empty pitchers which had once contained wine. Yet as chaotic as the table was, the royal family was calm.
At the head of the table, King Jacob was laying back his chair. He held his chalice in his right hand, occasionally gulping down a entire cup of wine before filling it up again with his left hand. He was staring distastefully at Prince Timothy, silently cursing himself for letting his son turn out the way he had.
On his right, the queen was chastising her youngest for taking one too many drinks. The little princess smiled sheepishly at her mother, pretending to care about the lesson she was being taught. She chuckled at her mother's words, while she rocked her chair back and forth.
Parallel to his mother, Prince Anthony was having a quiet conversation with Princess Helen. Both royals were finishing their deserts, a royal marchpane for the prince and a small lemon cake for the princess. "You're certain you want to spend the rest of your life stuck with dozens of women dressed in white?" Anthony inquired, taking another bite of his large desert.
"Yes," the princess responded calmly, "and it isn't as if I won't be able to leave the Sanctuary every now and then." She turned to her brother and stared at him, silently telling him that her decision was made and he should stop questioning it. It was a stare that not many would dare to give the crown prince, but this princess had known the prince long enough to no longer be intimidated by him.
Unthreatened by the princess's actions, but clearly understanding the message, Anthony responded with a short nod and returned to his food. He was about to ask her which divine figure she would want to worship when an impatient voice stopped him.
"Well as fascinated as I am with this dinner, mother... father... there are matters that must be discussed," said Anastasia. She looked past Princess Imogen straight at her mother who was calmly picking from a plate of fruit.
"Of course darling, but we are not done eating," the queen answered, her attention focused on choosing the perfect peach.
Anastasia didn't let her mother's words stop her. "Trust me, this is not news that can wait." At this, Anthony turned away from Helen, waiting to see what would happen. On the other hand, the queen still hadn't reacted. She was peeling her peach, cutting it into thin slices before delicately eating them. After eating two slices the queen gave a slight nod towards Anastasia, inviting her to talk.
Anastasia gave a small scoff, "This is not something that everyone must hear." Before the queen was able to respond Imogen moved as if she were about to leave the table, but finally decided to remain seated. Anthony looked in dismay towards his younger sister, while Nathaniel grinned.
The queen sighed and looked towards the other end of the table. "Lysa… Timothy… you are excused."
Timothy quickly pushed his chair back and scurried towards the door. It was clear that he had no intent on partaking in the conversation that was about to take place. Lysa was much less keen on leaving the table, eyeing Anastasia as she slowly stood up. She gave one last long glance at her sister, before turning and heading out the door.
The queen shook her head, obviously done with her daughter's childish attitude. Once the younger ones were gone, the queen looked back over towards Anastasia, waiting for her to begin.
Anastasia did not speak, looking towards Helen. The younger girl ignored her sisters deadly stare, turning towards her mother to await her decision. Queen Constance sighed, "I'm starting to lose my patience Anastasia."
The princess quickly responded, "What I have to say must not leave this room. We all know where Helen's true loyalties lie and it is not with us."
At those words, Anthony perked up, ready to defend his younger sister. Before Anthony could say anything, Helen brought her hand over her brother's hand. As small of a sign it was it made it clear to Anthony that Helen wanted to deal with Anastasia herself.
"I understand your worries Anastasia, but at least my intentions are clear," Helen said, her voice remaining undisturbed. She stood up before continuing, "I have not joined the High Priestess yet. Until I have done so my family will always be where my loyalty lies."
As Helen was exiting the room, Imogen continued to shift in her chair. She desperately wished she was the one walking out instead of being stuck in a room filled with unnecessary family drama. Sadly there was no way she could leave without making her mother dislike her more than she already did. Her eyes still looking longingly at the door, Imogen sunk back in her chair.
The moment the doors closed behind Helen, Anastasia cleared her throat and began talking. "Duke Geoffroy is dead," she stated, her voice clear of any emotion.
Nobody answered, too in shock of what had just been said. Anthony looked at his sister, wondering why she had wanted to deliver the news at the dinner table rather than at a council meeting. She's probably realized that she would have more influence within her family than a group of old men who view her as nothing more than a marriable profit, Anthony thought.
Even Imogen and Nathaniel seemed interested in their sister's declaration. Nathaniel's eyes were wide open, staring silently at his sister. He was most likely in disbelief that his twin had not told him sooner, rather than news itself. Imogen was sitting straight up, waiting patiently to hear more.
Before Anastasia could go on, the Queen spoke. "Excuse me."
Anastasia looked towards the queen, cleary unbothered by the older women's reaction. "During our ride this morning, Anthony and I found Duke Geoffroy dead in his office. His manor was empty, not a…"
Queen Constance interrupted the princess, her voice tinged with anger. "You found one of the most important Dukes of Illea dead and you didn't find it necessary to tell anyone."
Once again Anastasia was cut off before she could respond. "The Duke's death is more important than your stupid ambitions Anastasia. You knew how important his money was, but still you insist on keeping a secret."
There were a few moments of silence, in which Anastasia looked at the queen, towards Anthony, and then back to the queen. "We found black blood," she said in a single breath.
Suddenly everyone, including Imogen and Nathaniel, seemed interested in what Anastasia had to say. The only person who wasn't looking in her direction was Anthony, desperately wanting to get to the interesting part of the conversation.
"This was not a simple murder… this was a message. They want us to know that they have the upper hand," Anastasia continued, her voice free from any emotion.
The queen looked down at her plate of peaches and slowly nodded. As small of movement it was, it showed Anastasia that she understood the gravity of the situation, that she understood why the council must be kept in the dark.
The king's response was far less sensible, leaping out of his chair, his voice rising as he spoke. "Those bastards," he cried, hands leaning on the table, "they are basically begging for a war. If that's what they want, then I will give them a bloody war. I'll ride into the battlefields myself and…"
The queen shoot a look at her husband, ordering him to be quiet. The king snickered, "Don't look at me that way women…"
"Father." This time it was Anthony that interrupted the restless man. He did not scream, he didn't have to get his point across. "Please, sit down." Despite the formalities used by the prince, it was obvious that this was not a request.
Jacob looked at his son, his eyes still filled with rage. He cleared his throat and sat back down in his chair. As much as he hated to admit it, his son was right. Causing a scene with his wife would not help his case. Not when my whore of wife has a good portion of the council under her pretty little fingertips.
Nathaniel's eyes were once again wide open, taken aback from what had just happened. He wasn't surprised, but rather annoyed that his family couldn't spend one dinner without trying to attack one another. He had come here to eat and now found himself on the brink of an Ilean civil war. "I think we have more important issues than our poisonous family relationships, one being that Prussia is in possession of the deadliest poison on earth," Nathaniel said, his voice as calm as ever.
The room felt silent once again, this time not because of fear, but of surprise that this young prince had been able to connect the dots. Anastasia smiled at her twin, an action that was not returned. Instead the boy only rolled his eyes, obviously still petty about his sister's decision to keep him out of the loop.
"Nathaniel's right and, unlike father, believes war is not an option," Anthony said, "for now at least." He did not look at his father while he was taking, knowing that this was not the moment to start yet another fight.
Constance gave a short but strong nod, before turning her attention towards Anastasia. "So, what do you suggest we do." The mother understood that the daughter of Athena would never bring up a topic of this matter at the dinner table without having weaved the event into her self-serving plans.
Anastasia rose from her chair and gracefully began her discourse. "We cannot start a war. It doesn't matter whether the Prussians have only a vial of the poison or barrels of it. If the people discover the reason we started the war, no sane man will ever step on the battlefield."
The king still refused to turn his head towards his family, but the tension in his body was gone.
"I doubt that this attack was on behalf of all the prussian aristocracy. We all know that the Empress has shown little interest in Illea, much less our gods."
The queen crossed her arms, encouraging her daughter to get to the point.
"Ever since the death of her husband, the heir of Prussia has not be clear. It is well known that the Empress prefers her nephew over her own son, a nephew who has been rumored to be a faithful servant of Apollo."
Anastasia's intentions were clear to everyone by now, even to Imogen. It was Anthony that finished his sister's thought. "If we can insure that the nephew is the only viable claim to the throne," Anthony smirked, "we won't have to worry about Prussia publicly attacking us. If we can get close enough to him we can open his eyes to the threats in his court and that the only way to be safe from them is to dispose of them."
"Yes," Anastasia responded "though a more discrete version would be preferable."
Constance eyed the princess suspiciously, wondering what part of the plan she was hiding and why. She had done her years of scheming to know that personal ambitions often came in the way of the bigger picture. "And how do you intend on coming in contact with this Empress and her nephew without alerting the rest of the prussian court?"
It was Nathaniel that responded for his twin, chuckling as he spoke. "Trust me, she has many connections across the sea." Anastasia shot a mean look at her brother, warning him to keep his mouth shut.
Ignoring the siblings obvious discontent with each other, the queen asked the question that every single councilman would ask if they heard of this plan. "Why should we let the fate of Illea rest in the hands of a seventeen year old girl?"
Before Anastasia could respond, the queen pushed further with her argument. "Do you understand that this is not one of your little court games. We are talking about an empire that is thousands of miles away, filled with powerful lords and ladies that would do anything to see Illea fall."
The princess looked at the queen, desperately trying to find a way to respond. Once again the queen did not give her the opportunity. "Let me take care of the Empress while you play penpal with the nephew. As for the Duke's death, you said his manor was empty. That means we can tell the story however we please." The queen gave a confident smile, happy to finally have regained the advantage.
"Your father will tell the council that the Duke was attacked by anti-monarchy revolutionaries. As for the people that we at the Duke's manor, we will send the Hoplites in search of them. No one outside of this room must know the truth, no one."
The queens eyes surveyed the room as she finished speaking. She knew that any of the children and the king could find a suitable excuse to share this information with other people.
"Of course dearest mother, but I would be surprised if father didn't use the Hoplites in his next hunting excursion," Anthony joked. Still his eyes were serious, giving a clear sign that he understood his mother's wishes and would respect them.
Nathaniel raised his chalice and looked around the table. "It's like they say… blood is thicker than water." The rest of the table looked at him pretending to agree, wondering whether they would all stay true to his words.
They sky was grey and clouded, the early signs of a storm. A far away rumble could be heard, reinforcing the fact that today was not the day to go outside for a hunting trip or horseback ride.
Ever since the dinner the queen had been in a foul mood and the weather was doing nothing to improve it. There had been other important matters to discuss: announcing Imogen's possible new fiances, inquiring about Nathaniel's new acquaintances, and most importantly reminding the crown prince that he would soon be hosting 35 young maidens at the castle.
The queen continued to walk through the open corridor, looking at the courtyard below her. Even years after it had passed, Constance had not forgotten her time as a selected. She had done every imaginable thing to win the crown and now wondered where it had all gotten her. The country she ruled was being attacked by powerful enemies, from the inside and out, and she was letting a young girl try and attempt to reverse the situation.
"Mother," a smooth voice called, pulling the queen back to her radiant self. Anthony was walking out from the courtyard tower and towards her. He smiled, though it was far from genuine.
"How was your music lesson?" the queen inquired, though she was far from interested in the response. Truth be told, Anthony's time in the highest level of the courtyard tower was much more than an ordinary music lesson. The crown prince was the only person allowed to enter the room, even Helen was forbidden. All anybody knew was that when the prince exited the room after his so called lesson, he was as chipper as he would ever be. It was as if playing his lyre cleansed his mind and soul, though it would take an eternity of lessons to get Anthony's soul to be somewhat pure.
"Refreshing," the prince answered, his tone clearly stating that he would speak no more on the matter.
The queen did not respond, only giving a slight nod of the head to show that she was listening. There were a few moments of silence before the queen decided that she might as well cut down on her to-do list. "You are twenty one now and it is about time that you held your Selection," she said, cutting straight to the chase.
Anthony grinned at his mother, "I know and I more than excited to welcome plethora of women into my house."
The queen looked sternly at her son. "Firstly, not all of the girls entering the castle will be women yet. I do not want to have to deal with the repercussions of your actions."
As she said this, the queen looked through the nearest archway and down. A small huddle of women in pure white dresses were making their way through the courtyard, talking in hushed voices. There were five of them, walking in rows of twos. The last one walked alone, head held up high, observing every inch of her surroundings.
"As you can see," the queen continued, "I have other things I must deal with." She trying her best to hide her agitation.
Her hazel eyes were sending daggers to the women below, watching their every move. The women were almost gone when the last one turned her head upwards and looked directly at the queen. She paused, letting the rest of the group continue without her.
The woman turned towards the royal pair, allowing her golden necklace into the royals sight. It covered the women's nuke and looked as if it was constricting her every move. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry, but one that the queen despised. It was the jewelry of the High Priestess'.
On the center of the necklace were embedded a numerous amount of blue gemstones in the form of a trident, signifying that the young woman served Poseidon.
The queen looked up at the woman's face and to the sly grin that awaited her. The priestess gave a half-hearted bow in the queen's direction and let her eyes roam over Anthony's strong figure.
Refusing to give the women the decency of a response, the queen looked back at her son, acting as if the priestess was nothing but a common maid. If the priestess had noticed the queen's lack of response she did not let it show, confidently walking in the direction her fellow friends had left.
Once the women was gone, Anthony turned back towards his mother. "You're stronger than them," he said, "You could tear them all apart if you wished." The prince gave his mother a wicked smile, his mind enjoying the thought of those women in white staining their beautiful robes red with their own blood. A more picturesque death then theirs could not exist.
The queen lifted her chin, her eyes filled with wildfire. "I know," she answered, "And that's exactly what I intend on doing."
I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter. It gives some more insight on our royals and the situation of the world around them. I did introduce some new characters that will be featured in latter chapters and I can't wait for you guys to get to know more about them at the story progresses. I have received so many girls and I love them all, so thanks to all who submitted. I would love to have at least a little bit from every character before I make my next update, so that I can incorporate the right characters for the right moments.
Camille
