I forgot to mention this in the previous chapters, but I based the casual fashion of Zelant on Central European styles, primarily German, Polish, and Swiss. The Zelant military wears black armor.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the polls! Here are the results:
Poll #1: Who would you like number 93, the Chizou Star (Cook) to be in this fanfic? (Note: This poll had a tie and so I used randomizer wheelofnames to choose the winner (best 3 out of 5).)
- Lester (Suikoden I/II)
- Hai Yo (Suikoden II) (2)
- Retso (Suikoden II/V) (4)* (Won 1 round in the randomizer)
- Mamie (Suikoden III) (3)
- Yasaka (Suikoden VI) (2)
- Yu Kum (Suikoden II)
- Goetsu (Suikoden II)
- Shiki (Suikoden II)
- Ryuki (Suikoden II)
- Bashok (Suikoden II)
- Ryuko (Suikoden II)
- Antonio (Suikoden I/II)
- Gyokuran (Suikoden II)
- Jinkai (Suikoden II)
- New Character (4)* (Won 3 rounds in the randomizer)
—
Poll #3: Would you like to have plays in this story?
- Yes, with Nadir as the Star
- Yes, with Nāṭaka as the Star
- Yes, with the third member of the troupe as the Star (4)
- Yes, with someone unrelated to the troupe as the Star (3)
- No plays
—
Due to the results of Poll #3, a new poll has opened. As with all polls, feel free to vote in the poll or leave a comment with your choice.
Poll #5: Which event in Suikoden VI would you like to see represented in its play? (Can make up to two selections)
- Summoning Yuber
- Final Battle
- Sloan freed of the Black Rune
- Daunte reunited with his father
- Liberation of the Dark Chasm
- The battle against Eligos
- The wedding
Chapter One: Part Two
Two days later…
Standing before the king, Albert Silverberg knew that he had to choose his words wisely. But he was unafraid. Many had crossed Franz Reiser in the past and didn't live to tell the tale. But he was smarter than that. "Your Majesty," he said, bowing respectfully. He stood before the king in His Majesty's private office. Not even a bodyguard lingered in the chamber. It was a massive chamber, easily the size of three large bedrooms, with a high domed ceiling and immaculate dark furniture. "Everything is ready to go."
"Good," King Franz responded, his tone low.
Albert straightened his posture and met the king's eyes. "Before it commences," he said. "I want to remind you that once it starts, it cannot be stopped."
King Franz stared at him in silence, his jaw visibly locked. "I am not questioning your decision," Albert added tactfully. "This was my idea, after all. But I am compelled to warn His Majesty. Before we reach the point of no return, you are free to say no and stop it. After the point of no return however, it will be out of our hands.
"So…are you ready, Your Majesty?"
Albert knew the answer. He was far too aware of King Franz's ambition. But…the King did not immediately respond to him. The pause was noticeable, and caused a twinge of discomfort to form in the core of Albert's being.
But only briefly. He knew was the king would ultimately decide, which was confirmed when King Franz finally spoke. "Get it done."
Albert smiled mirthlessly and bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."
His Majesty King Franz Reiser's Heirs
Prince Brendan (b. IS 454)
Princess Sigrun (b. IS 457)
Prince Kion (b. IS 458)
Prince Vahan (b. IS 461)
Princess Philomena (b. IS 463)
Prince Denzel (b. IS 466)
Princess Astraea (b. IS 468)
—
His Majesty King Franz Reiser's Recognized Bastards
Rufino (b. IS 455)
Grego (b. IS 455)
Malka (b. IS 455)
Yefrem (b. IS 456)
Hacir (b. IS 456)
Dawa (b. IS 457)
Rivka (b. IS 458)
Darya (b. IS 459)
Erment (b. IS 459)
Wenke (b. IS 460)
Sarka (b. IS 460)
Aravine (b. IS 461)
Conall (b. IS 461)
Taiwo (b. IS 462)
Arron (b. IS 462)
Philibert (b. IS 463)
Ademola (b. IS 463)
Lykouro (b. IS 463)
Holger (b. IS 463)
Tudor (b. IS 464)
Apollina (b. IS 464)
Klava (b. IS 465)
Gopal (b. IS 465)
Jai (b. IS 465)
Reshma (b. IS 465)
Padrig (b. IS 465)
Robbe (b. IS 465)
Lehi (b. IS 465)
Kerime (b. IS 465)
Onesi (b. IS 465)
Narasingh (b. IS 465)
Lianus (b. IS 466)
Stan (b. IS 466)
Hawa (b. IS 466)
Boban (b. IS 466)
Janna (b. IS 467)
Barrett (b. IS 468)
Ritta (b. IS 468)
Milo (b. IS 469)
—
"Princess Astraea?"
Astraea glanced up. She sat up a little straighter in her seat though when she recognized the woman who stood at her side. "Miss Drake," she said respectfully.
Miss Elly Drake was a woman in her mid-thirties who was a high-ranking member of Zelant's Intelligence Bureau just below Albert Silverberg. She was one of the few granted the privilege of living in the Eisenblütig, and she was well-respected but had a reputation for being cold. Her hair was pastel pink and always worn in a bow bun. She wore clubmaster style glasses with black frames, which her hazel eyes peered over as she looked at Astraea. She wore a tan-colored trench coat over an aqua green tunic that was nearly long enough to be a dress, and matching tan-colored slacks. Astraea had heard that Elly always took meticulous care to ensure that that appearance was always perfect. No creases or wrinkles in her clothes, no blemishes on her face, and no single strand of hair loose.
Astraea glanced towards Dawa briefly. They were in Eisenblütig's Grand Library; a three-story room filled with tens of thousands of books, many of them out of print. Many of them handwritten and not printed. Dawa was leaning against the front desk, her expression calm. Astraea looked back at Elly and motioned to the chair beside her. "Please, join me if you have a moment."
Elly abruptly pulled the seat out and sat down beside her. "Thank you for inviting me to sit with you, Your Highness," she said briskly. "May I ask what you are studying during your study period?"
Astraea flushed, realizing that she was not actually studying at the moment. "I was taking a break," Astraea told her. "R…Reading my family's ledger."
Elly glanced towards the ledger in front of Astraea. "His Majesty is generous," she said. "To not only track all of his children but to also recognize each and every one of them. You know that with this ledger we can assemble allowances for all the bastards and distribute them?"
"I have…many siblings," Astraea said after a moment. "Both nobles and commoners. And His Majesty gives them all an equal allowance, right?"
"Right, Your Highness," Elly said. "We have a department specifically to ensure that all of them receive what is owed to them."
"I've heard about many of them, but I've only met a handful of them." She pointed to a name on the list. "Yefrem. I heard he's an actor in Kanakan."
"Yes, he is," Elly confirmed. "And we've heard he's very popular there."
"And Sarka—" Astraea pointed to the name. "She has the lordship seat of the town of Triona."
"That is correct."
"And Rufino—" she pointed to the name. "He traveled to Black Dragon Island to get training as a chef."
"He did. His Majesty the King personally sponsored him, and the Black Dragon Clan accepted him due to this sponsorship."
"And Tudor—" she pointed to the name. "He traveled to the Republic of Nagarea to learn window-making!"
"That's correct, too." Elly smiled softly. "You are very knowledgeable about your kin, Princess."
"They are my family," Astraea said. "I wish to know all of them."
"That is sweet of you," Elly said. "But you should also be careful, Your Highness. You may share blood, but you are a legitimate heir while they are bastards. They are not the same as you."
Astraea didn't like the way she had phrased it, but her words were no different than words her own father had used. She pondered if she should reprimand Elly for what she said, agree with her, or stay silent. Ultimately, Astraea decided not to respond to her.
"Tell me, Your Highness," Elly asked suddenly, her tone dipping. "Do you know why, when King Franz made an offer of marriage to Lord Albert as a "thank you" for his service, that Sir Albert chose—" she pointed to a specific name on the ledger in front of Astraea. "Lady Darya?"
Astraea glanced down at her half-sister's name for a moment and then looked back at Elly. "Because Sir Albert loves Darya?" she asked.
Elly smile thinned. "Perhaps," she said after a moment. "But mostly it was a tactical decision."
"A 'tactical decision'?"
"Sir Albert chose a bastard over Princess Sigrun," Elly pointed out. "He could have chosen Princess Sigrun if he wanted, but he did not do so. Do you know why?" She leaned in closer and spoke before Astraea could answer. "Lady Darya is a recognized bastard, but she is a bastard all the same. That means she has no claim to Zelant's throne. By choosing to marry her instead of Princess Sigrun, Sir Albert's bloodline thus has no claim to the throne. By marrying Lady Darya, Sir Albert proved to His Majesty that he will never be a threat to him. Nor will his descendants be."
Astraea stared at her in shock for a moment. She knew that Elly had made an amazing point about Albert affirming his loyalty to the king, but at the same time there was an…edge to her tone. "You…don't like Sir Albert, do you Miss Elly?" she asked carefully.
Elly thankfully did not look offended by her question. "You're smart, Your Highness. Too smart, though. I would suggest you practice tact for your own convenience."
Astraea flushed with embarrassment. "I'm sorry—"
"You're a princess so you cannot apologize to someone below your station. Likewise, I cannot hide from a direct question from a princess. You are correct, Your Highness—I'm not fond of Sir Albert."
"Why not? He's done so much for this Zelant."
"He has," Elly said. "But there are many factors. One is that I feel that the Chief Strategist to King Franz—the person with whom he has most confidence in—should have been a native Zelantan such as myself. I have a natural reluctance to believe that a foreigner has the best interests of our nation at heart."
"I…see," Astraea said slowly. She almost couldn't believe that Elly would confess this so readily.
"But secondly," Elly said. "I have always felt like Sir Albert has—ulterior motives in being here. He is said to have a high rank in the Holy Kingdom of Harmonia, but he has no professional references from Harmonia. Why is that? Sure he is a Silverberg, and everyone knows that Silverbergs are born with natural brilliance. But to put it mildly, for someone who has such a trusted government position his résumé is…spare."
A feeling of discomfort settled over Astraea's stomach. She looked away and back down to the ledger. "If I may ask, Your Highness," Elly said softly. "That you keep what I've told you to yourself? Despite my personal feelings towards Sir Albert, His Majesty does trust him implicitly. I risk my station if it's discovered that I don't trust the person the King trusts most."
Astraea knew that she could say yes or no to keeping Elly's secret, but she knew what the right answer was. "It's all right, Miss Elly," she told her. "I will not tell anyone what you told me. Not even Dawa."
Elly smiled in visible relief. "Thank you, Your Highness."
"Your Highness!" Dawa suddenly called out. Astraea looked over towards her and she saw a castle page standing with her. Astraea and Elly both stood as Dawa and the page approached. "You've been summoned by the King, Your Highness," Dawa said, her tone serious.
Summoned by Father? Astraea felt a cold feeling of shock but kept the outward appearance of calm as the page bowed respectfully. "Princess Astraea. His Majesty the King wishes to have an audience with you in the throne room."
"I will leave you to it, Your Highness," Elly said. "I need to get back to work anyway."
"Have a good day, Miss Elly," Astraea told her. Elly saluted before walking away. Despite her apprehension, Astraea turned back to the page and nodded. "Take me to the King, please."
A servant cleaned up Astraea's table as the princess was escorted to the throne room, known as the Onyx Chamber. The ceiling was high and the walls were black with genuine gold molding forming intricate designs around murals of historical events in Zelant's history. The most recent mural to adorn the wall was Astraea's feat of "conquering the beast" when she was thirteen, though it was tucked away into the northwest corner wall of the chamber. The floor was wine-colored and glossy, and black carpeting led from the door to the Onyx Chamber straight to the throne, where King Franz was seated with Albert standing to his right side.
A long row of chairs lined the two walls leading to the dais, and every seat was filled. Astraea was surprised to see all of her siblings present and seated. Denzel waved at him jovially and Sigrun gave her a nod and a smile. No one else reacted as she passed, though everyone bowed their heads respectfully Astraea reached the foot of the dais and saluted the King, while Dawa went into a full kneel behind her. "I am honored to be in your presence, Your Majesty," Astraea greeted her father, her tone respectful.
"We have incredible news to share," Albert announced, addressing the chamber first before Astraea. Then his eyes fell upon Astraea. "Congratulations, Princess Astraea. You have been formally accepted into the Soldedt Academy of Military Science."
Astraea's head snapped up as the Onyx Chamber exploded in loud conversation. She looked at King Franz, who was staring at her with a blank expression. Then her gaze shifted back to Albert. "I…have?"
She was beyond confused. She hadn't applied to the Soldedt Academy of Military Science. She wasn't even aware that she was up for consideration for the school!
Who sent in an application on my behalf?
Albert looked away from her again and across the chamber. "Princess Astraea," he said, and the chamber fell silent when he spoke. "Is one of ten candidates from Zelant who have been selected to join the premiere military school in the entire world! She will be traveling from nine other potential students from across the country in three day's time to the Holy Kingdom of Harmonia. This is an honor not granted to many, but it has been granted to nine citizens and one of our princesses! Please join His Majesty and I in congratulating Princess Astraea on her stunning achievement!"
Cheers filled the chamber; people jumping to their feet whooping and clapping, but Astraea was struck speechless. She looked between her father and Albert, her mouth opening and closing silently. I'm…being sent away? They're sending me away to the Northern Continent? In three days?
It felt too fast; like she was being pushed out the door. And it was very clear that she had no choice in the matter. It was announced publicly and she was not asked yes or no. She was going.
Brendan stood up and clapped with a stone-faced expression. Philomena also stood to clap, but she looked bored. Kion looked annoyed and Vahan looked mildly surprised. Only Denzel and Sigrun looked displeased. Sigrun remained expressionless while Denzel's jaw was locked with anger. They both knew that Astraea has not applied to attend the Soldedt Academy of Military Science, nor had she ever expressed an interest in attending the school. They both saw it for what it really was; Astraea was being forcibly sent away.
Astraea debated if she should protest her going, or if she should thank them for the opportunity. But she knew that while protesting was how she truly felt, it would not look good for her to publicly refuse to go. So she swallowed her apprehension, and saluted once more. "I am pleased to hear of my acceptance," she said, phrasing it to make it sound like she had applied for the Academy. "I will make Zelant proud as a student there."
"Well said, Your Highness," Albert responded. He sounded mildly impressed. "You will be pleased to know that amongst the nine other candidates who you will be traveling with to Harmonia, three of them are bastards of His Majesty the King."
"Really?" Astraea asked. The tension inside of her dissipated somewhat.
"They are," King Franz said, his tone harsh. The chamber fell silent once more and everyone took their seats. "At the Soldedt Academy you will be a student of equal rank to the other Zelantan students there. But do not forget that you are one of my heirs and thus your station is above theirs. They are all beneath you."
Astraea swallowed hard, but nodded. "I understand, Your Majesty."
"The students will all be here by tomorrow evening," Albert said. "However the bastards should be arriving here specifically within the next couple of hours. The Princess is free to meet with them."
It sounded…strange to Astraea for Albert to refer to her illegitimate siblings so bluntly and lowly, when his own wife was an illegitimate daughter of the king. But Astraea knew better than to point this out and instead forced a smile at the Chief Strategist. "I would be happy to meeting my siblings."
"There is your sentimentality again," King Franz gruffed. Astraea flinched at his words. "Take this time at the Academy to properly mature, Astraea. Compassion is weakness, and no one of my seed will be weak."
Astraea felt mortified to be admonished so publicly by her father, but she ducked her head to cover her shocked expression. "…I understand, Your Majesty," she murmured.
Behind Astraea, Dawa's own head was ducked and her jaw was locked. Harmonia? Since when has the Princess been destined to go to Harmonia?!
As Albert stated, Astraea's three half-siblings arrived to Eisenblütig no more than two hours later. During that time she was given a briefing on each of her half-siblings; it was to be two boys and one girl. Barrett, Milo, and Ritta. Both Barrett and Ritta were motherless and had been fostered off to different families across Zelant, but they still received a royal allowance as recognized bastards. Milo however was the younger brother of Lady Sarka, who had the lordship seat of Triona. When Astraea first heard of the siblings, it had felt…strange to her that her father had fathered multiple children with the same mistress, the deceased Lady of Triona. But she had heard that Sarka and Milo were close and she was glad for it.
I hope to get along with him, too.
Milo had been the first to arrive with a small entourage, and he was dressed in a white shirt, dark green vest and matching pants. He had dirty blonde textured spiky hair, but Astraea recognized the seventeen year old's intense blue eyes. She knew that he was a Reiser from those eyes alone.
They met in the Great Hall, and Milo's face lit up when he saw her. "It's you, isn't it?" he asked, hurrying forward. "The girl who conquered Bhayankar!"
"'The girl' is Her Highness Princess Astraea," Dawa corrected him sharply.
"It's all right, Dawa," Astraea reassured her. She offered her hand to Milo. "I'm pleased to meet you."
"Sorry, Your Highness," Milo said, wincing as he accepted her handshake. "Sarka told me to be on my best behavior and I'm off to a bad start."
"Is Lady Sarka here?" Astraea asked, looking around.
"Ah no, she'll come the day before we leave," Milo said. "Your Highness," he quickly added.
Astraea choked on a laugh and waved a dismissive hand. She knew that she would get along with Milo just fine.
Ritta and Barrett arrived shortly thereafter, and while both looked overwhelmed by the splendor of Eisenblütig they both had kind demeanors. Barrett had black hair styled in a short pompadour, and Ritta had white blonde hair styled in a pixie cut with thick bangs. Barrett had a stocky frame, and his gray tunic and black pants looked large on him. Ritta wore a blue dirndl dress with white mesh leggings, and she kept brushing out the skirt self-consciously. But when both saw Astraea they smiled and became at ease. Ritta even rushed forward and threw her arms around Astraea. "Sister!" she cried out happily. "I finally meet my sister! I have six brothers with my foster family!"
"I'm pleased to meet you too," Astraea laughed, nodding to Dawa that everything was okay.
"I'm just happy to see any siblings," Barrett said wryly, rubbing at his nape. "I don't have any siblings with my foster family."
"Well—now we're all together," Milo said. "And we're going to study in Harmonia."
"I'm so happy that His Majesty chose me to go to the Academy!" Ritta gushed, letting Astraea go. "I'm proud of my work with a bow, but I never realized how good I actually was until now!"
"I'm happy too, to travel," Barrett said. "I think I fare pretty well with a club."
"I use an ida sword," Milo said. "My sister was surprised that an application was submitted for me, but she's pleased that it was accepted."
Astraea blinked in shock. None of them applied to the Academy either?
Before she could really think about it, the trio looked at Astraea. "What weapon do you use, Your Highness?" he asked her.
"Can I call you Astraea? Pretty please?" Ritta asked, clasping her hands together.
"Sure," Astraea responded before Dawa could. "And to answer your question, I use a knout."
"Oh, a whip?" Barrett asked. "How come?"
"Oh—"
"If I may," Dawa said, stepping forward. "It's not wise for the princess to discuss the secrets of her skills."
Milo, Barrett, and Ritta all snapped to attention at her words. "This is Dawa, my assist," Astraea introduced her. "She is also our sister."
"Oh, really?" Milo exclaimed, his eyes wide. "I heard a few of us became assists!"
"Is Aravine here?" Ritta asked. "I've heard she's really beautiful!"
"Darya's probably the prettiest out of you lot, isn't she?" Barrett wondered aloud. "I mean she is the one Sir Albert chose for his wife!"
It quickly became apparent to Astraea that Barrett lacked tact in any manner. She saw Dawa seethe from his oblivious insult and she coughed loudly. "Say!" she announced. "The market here in the capital is famous! Would you all like to go shopping with me?"
"Can we see Bhayankar?" Milo perked in.
"Oh, is that the alligator they feed traitors to?" Barrett asked.
"EWWWW!" Ritta shrieked, covering her ears.
"Bhayankar is a sacrosuchus," Astraea gently corrected him. "And we would need to get permission to go into the Crypt to see him."
"Awww," Milo moaned in disappointment.
"Oh thank God," Ritta said at the same time.
"Let's go shopping," Dawa interjected, her tone sharp. "You all may as well go now, as it will be a long time before any of you see it again."
"Is it true there's over thirty shops in the market?" Barrett asked.
"Oh yes," Astraea said. "I think you'll all enjoy them."
"I don't have a lot of Potch on me, but I'll window-shop," Ritta said.
Astraea smiled. "I can buy all three of you a souvenir."
"Really?!"
"That's generous of you, Astraea," Milo said.
"Think of it as a way for us to remember the start of our journey," Astraea told them.
"Well since you offered," Barrett said, throwing an arm around her shoulder. "I'm not going to say no."
"Me either," Ritta laughed.
"I'll return the favor once we reach Harmonia," Milo promised.
Astraea couldn't stop smiling as they made their way towards the front gates. Her family felt even larger now and it was a wonderful feeling.
I just know that the Academy will be better, with these three with me.
Dawa was not the least bit surprised that Astraea had taken so well to her half-siblings. By dinner the four of them were laughing and carrying on as though they had known each other for years and not just a few short hours. Astraea even invited Milo, Barrett, and Ritta to have dinner with her in her chamber. The positive commotion drew the attention of the other royals, and Denzel ended up joining them in Astraea's suite. "I have younger brothers!" he shouted with joy, throwing his arms around both Barrett and Milo at the same time.
"What about me?" Ritta pouted.
"Give him a moment," Astraea said with a smile. "Denzel's the youngest prince, so he's used to only having a younger sister."
Dawa watched them from the door as she always did, and she did not flinch when she heard a knock at the door. When the page entered however, she was surprised by his announcement. "Miss Dawa, His Majesty the King summons you to his office."
Dawa gaped at him in shock. The table silenced and Dawa looked towards her charge. Astraea looked surprised. "Just Dawa?" she asked. "His Majesty didn't summon me?"
"Ah—no, Your Highness," the page said warily. "His Majesty specifically asked for your assist."
"I can't leave Her Highness's side," Dawa pointed out sharply. "My job is to—"
"I-I apologize Milady," the page said, shrinking a little under Dawa's glare. "But His Majesty gave strict instructions that only you come to see him."
"It's all right, Dawa," Astraea said, standing from her seat. "The last time an assassin breached the security of Eisenblütig was when our great-grandfather was king. Nothing will happen to me while you're gone."
"Nothing will happen," Musashi echoed coldly. Dawa jumped violently, having not noticed the ninja standing at her side earlier. "I will be right back, Your Highness," Dawa said, quickly recovering.
As Dawa left the East Wing the only other royal she saw was Kion, who was screaming in a page's face. "I measured her hair myself! It is NOT twenty-seven centimeters long!"
"Y-Y-Y-Your Highness!" the other page squeaked. "I am sorry, but the formal measurement was—"
"HER HAIR IS FINE!" Kion bellowed out. "YOU ARE NOT CUTTING IT ANY SHORTER!"
Dawa noticed Gwenette standing off to the side, wringing her hands a little as she watched her angry charge. Dawa remembered that she was below the age that allowed for longer hair. From her perspective Gwenette's hair looked like it was less than twenty-five centimeters. But she also knew that hair length was closely monitored by those less than twenty-three years. Not even the royals under that age could have their hair longer than twenty-five centimeters.
It's already strange that Prince Kion chose someone from the Magic Guild to be his assist, when rune magic is not one of his strengths. But he also chose someone who still had to be monitored for hair length. I've heard that Gwenette is good with a Fire Rune, but her skills must be incredible for the Prince to choose her. Then again, Prim DID say that Gwenette was one of the best.
Her mouth quirked slightly just thinking about it, before the familiar discomfort settled over her. But Dawa shook it off as she always. There's no use regretting it now. I made my choice. So did Prim.
She arrived at King Franz's private office, where Albert stood behind where the king sat at his desk. Dawa was not surprised to see Albert with the King, but when she presented herself before the king's desk she was completely unprepared for the King's proclamation.
"I'm sending you home."
Dawa was left in such a state of shock that she could not speak. She could only gape at her father with wide eyes, the air entering her body feeling heavy and hot. It was Albert who spoke next. "You know of the tensions, Dawa. You have the lordship seat of Potsfurt, which is the port closest to Bianca. You need to reassume your Ladyship position there and help to maintain control."
"I-I…" Dawa struggled to speak, the words choking in her throat. She shook her head. "I-I—Your Majesty!" she gasped. "I cannot leave!"
King Franz's brow furrowed at her. "This is not a request, Dawa. This is an order. You will return to Potsfurt and help to apply pressure there. Pressure is being applied at all of our ports. You are needed there."
"Y-Your Majesty," Dawa panted. "I-I—I am an assist! I am an assist to Princess Astraea!"
"Princess Astraea will be leaving for the Holy Kingdom," Albert said. "The Soldedt Academy of Military Science accepts students of many backgrounds from across the world, but do you know what they do not accept? Bodyguards."
"I…what?"
"You will not be traveling with Astraea because your presence is not needed at her side," King Franz said. "Your role here is not necessary, Dawa. It IS necessary in Potsfurt, and you will leave tomorrow to go back to Potsfurt to control our forces there."
Dawa looked at the king then. A cold feeling of discomfort settled in her stomach. "Your Majesty," she whispered. "I—"
"Are you disobeying a direct order from His Majesty, Dawa?" Albert spoke up, his tone hard. "His Majesty told you to go back to your seat. You will do so. This is nonnegotiable. Or do I need to remind you of Rule Number Seven of Zelant's core rules?"
The King's word is law above everything.
Dawa ducked her head and gritted her teeth. Something felt…very wrong about all of this. The announcement of Astraea being sent away to school, and now she was being separated from Astraea. It was all so sudden, and she didn't like it.
But…there was nothing she could do. As an assist she answered only to two people; her charge and the monarch. And the monarch had dismissed her from her post. She had to leave. She could not remain by Astraea's side.
"…I understand, Your Majesty," she said through gritted teeth. "Sir Albert. Please excuse my impudence. I was only…surprised, is all."
"You are one of my bastards so I will forgive your behavior this time," King Franz said. "But don't make it a habit, Dawa. The Beast likes to feast upon those who do not toe the line."
Dawa flinched, understanding his words. She bowed deeply again. "If I may," she said, her tone shaky. "Would I—be allowed to say goodbye to Her Highness before I go?"
King Franz scoffed loudly. "Now I see where Astraea gets her sentimentality from."
"I do not see the harm in it, Your Majesty," Albert said, smiling thinly. "It would do them both good to say goodbye."
The cold inside of Dawa grew, but she hid it behind her stoicism. "So be it," King Franz sighed. "You may say goodbye to Astraea Dawa, but then you will hurry back to Potsfurt. That town needs to be ready for what's to come."
"What is to come, Your Majesty?" Dawa asked, looking up.
King Franz smirked. "War. What else, Dawa?"
Note: The Onyx Chamber in Eisenblütig was modeled after the Senator Chamber in Waraw's Royal Castle.
The next chapter will be up this Thursday, 9/12.