A Dream of Empire Ch. 021

No calls to adventure in this chapter. This chapter and the next are transitional, 'normal' days, showing how our heroes are living their lives in Solais after their encounter with Casiama. Fair warning that this chapter starts slow, since there's two months of history to catch up on; Sun's Rest being our December, and the previous chapter ending in early November.

There are two sex scenes, one near the middle and one at the end.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Alanna

Solais, Kingdom of Solais

20^th of Sun's Rest, 1282 D.f.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-

"I, the Court Sorceress of Solais, on the twentieth of Sun's Rest, twelve-hundred-and-eighty-two years since the Dragonfall, call this meeting of the High Council to order. I am joined by the King and the entire Council, with no guests nor absentees."

Alanna flashed a smile towards King Alfred, sitting just to her left, then softly cleared her throat. "Lord Castellan Bernard, if you could start us off with the tax revenues of the year, so we can get on to less tedious topics of conversation."

Bernard sighed, leaning back in his chair as he looked about the chamber with a mockery of displeasure.

"I will, as soon as someone reminds me why a young girl is now running our Council," he dryly replied. Alanna smiled for him.

"Now Bernard, we all know it's because I enjoy hearing myself speak," Alanna husked without skipping a beat, receiving laughs from the council.

"How could I forget," Bernard chuckled. He scanned the room to gauge the mood of those present. "The numbers are good. Even with the many deferments from the..." he glanced at the King and coughed, "the incident, we're still up almost ten percent from last year. There is, however, a small concern floating around the tax office due to a sharp increase in payments of coin over payments of grain, but this is a common occurrence in years of... uncertainty."

"Any threat to the royal silos?" Alfred asked.

"None, sire. We've still eighteen to twenty months of stock, and that's without rationing."

The King nodded, then turned his attention back to Alanna. She took the hint and continued on.

"Great. Then let's discuss spending that surplus," she giggled. "The Midwinter party at the castle tomorrow. Everything's well-prepared; the catering will be positively divine, I've hired on two illusionists from Catriona to 'wow' the crowd, and I somehow found twelve virgins of age to dance the Jolly."

"In Solais?" the High Bishop Odo asked incredulously. Alanna gave him a gentle giggle.

"Well, they look plenty virginal. Anyway, I've just been made aware of a conflict. The invitations to the White Horse Trading Company weren't rescinded, and they're planning on attending."

"So?" Bernard shrugged.

"So, after Lord Montpellier's... dalliance with the daughter of the chief executive of the Grey Suns, it would be crass if we allowed them to attend." Alanna glanced towards the glowing red stone in the center of the table, continuing, "a dalliance which I should reaffirm that we at the castle have officially denounced. Anyway, they should be made aware not to come, or we should turn them away at the door; else, we risk a feud ruining the party."

"Oh let them come, Alanna," Solomon dryly replied with a wave of his hand. "A fight or two will spruce up the eve, not ruin it."

Alanna spoke in objection and frowned, then looked to the King for his decision. She didn't really care, though; this was all but an act, just in case the Grey Suns reviewed the Council Archives.

"Agreed. Such a late notice would be far more disagreeable than permitting their attendance," Alfred said. "We'll send the Grey Suns a gift with our sincerest apologies. Anything else?"

"Yes," Alanna said. "High Bishop Odo, Chancellor Solomon; only one of you are allowed to attend stag tomorrow, so we can maintain a proper distribution of the genders at the high table."

Odo raised his hand just a half-second before Solomon could. "As a man of the gods, I'll take that role," he declared.

"And why does this so-called distribution matter, again?" Solomon monotonously asked of the enchantress. She groaned.

"Because it's uncouth to have more men than women at the table. Find a date, Chancellor," Alanna answered smugly. Solomon rolled his eyes. "That's all I have. Marshal Eriksson, you wanted to raise a concern regarding the..." she glanced at the scroll on the table, pouting, "... our former vassals to the south and to the east? If you would?"

Marshal Eriksson was an ancient man by Alanna's standards. He was now nearing seventy, and wore a long, curled mustache that hadn't been in style for half-a-century; yet, she liked him. He was up front with his wants, and didn't hide behind the typical veil of politics.

He stood up to address the Council. "My King, my lords... my lady," he said with a courteous bow, garnering a warm smile from Alanna, "it has been near two months since the incident with the elven traitors in the easterlands. and, as Marshal, I've since taken it upon myself to provide war plans for our nation. Both for the offense, and for the defense."

"Are we breaking the peace, William?" Solomon droned.

"Not at all. These are theoretical exercises, so that we're prepared for a future that hopefully won't come to pass. Anyway, whilst drawing up the plans, it came to my attention that neither myself nor any of our generals have personal experience with combating elves on the field."

Alanna smiled. Only Eriksson would admit to his own shortcomings on record.

"And so we're relying on books for expertise instead. Tomes from a different era," the Marshal continued. "And it isn't a tenable position. Therefore, I would like to formally request the hiring of a consultant from the Empire to help direct our efforts. Tardians have been combating elves for the better part of a century now, so there should be many a soul alive with the experience to assist us. Coin provided, naturally."

"Naturally. I approve, for anything less than two-hundred crowns," Bernard agreed with a nod. Alanna decided to speak her mind before the Marshal took his seat.

"You know, sir Marshal Eriksson, my man Talos has personal experien-"

"Denied," the King sternly interjected. "That deceitful man will not be assisting this Council until his loyalties are known or assured. Get your consultant, Will."

Alanna gulped, nodded, and looked down at the table. She'd almost forgotten of the King's dislike of Talos ever since the incident with Casiama, and instantly regretted bringing him up. Not only had Talos been gifted a sword by the King's nemesis after a humiliating defeat, he had also failed to answer as to why she had called him her 'husband' when the King pressed that question. The men had a bit of a falling-out after that, although they rarely thought of each other.

Alanna read the King's soured mood as he reached out over the table and took the Recording Stone in his hand, and felt a rage building inside both him and her that hadn't existed but a moment ago.

"Council's adjourned. I'll see you all on the 'morrow for Midwinter," he said.

-=-=-

Alanna wasted no time after the meeting, and quickly disappeared from the Castle after bidding a brief farewell to each of her fellow council-mates. She hadn't spared a goodbye for the King. Silence was all he'd receive from her today. It was a childish maneuver, of course, but she felt personally offended by Alfred's continued distrust of Talos. She decided to go see her man in hopes of calming down.

Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the brilliant daylight outside. From atop it's hill, the Castle of Solais looked down upon the city proper. The city below vibrated with the movement of thirty-thousand souls making their way through countless, narrow streets to funnel into all size of market square and entertainment plaza. A thousand towers of clouds rose from the buildings below; white ones from the residential districts, and a few smoky, black pillars from the industrial region by the port.

The collection of hills that Solais was built upon shaped the city as if it were a giant amphitheater, with the bustling port serving as its stage. The impressive mansions of the nobility - and many a fortunate merchant - looked down upon the city from three sides. Those less-fortunate were housed at sea level, within three-to-six story buildings rising skyward as if they were grasping for sunlight, giving the narrow streets below a claustrophobic feel.

Alanna always enjoyed this view from the castle, and of course appreciated her lavish house in the bay district where she and Talos were now domiciled. It had been granted to her by the King with no coin asked for her continued service, even though she could finally afford such an expense if she ever needed to.

The house was situated somewhat halfway up the same hill that the castle stood upon, and had views of both the city's sunrise and the ocean's sunset. It contained four bedrooms, proper plumbing, and even a small courtyard where they often watched the sunset. It was a far superior lodging than most of the citizenry could ever hope to aspire to, and, along with Alanna's new position as the King's sorceress, instantly placed her in the city's upper class. In the spring she'd even marry Talos, marking the final step in her transformation from peasant to noble, all achieved before twenty-one years of age. Her life was truly blessed.

An uncomfortably-chill wind suddenly blanketed her, forcing Alanna to wrap her furs tighter around her shoulders as she scanned the city. She eventually found Talos' string laid in the direction of the city's port, and started to make her way down the marble steps of the castle to find him. Alanna knew she didn't need to stop at home first to check on her babe, since Tanya was in town for the Solstice and was likely caring for him.

Unfortunately for her, Solomon, the King's Chancellor, intercepted her halfway down the steps of the castle. Alanna halted her steps at the sound of her name uttered monotonously, and forced herself to smile.

"Solomon. Did I forget something?" Alanna said, tucking a lock of blonde behind her ear as she turned about. Solomon walked down the steps to meet her.

"No, but Alfred did. He's no right to speak of Talos in that manner. Look, each and every one of us voted against the King's measure to exile him because we trust you, Alanna. I trust you, and I do not dole that privilege out often."

"Are you apologizing for him?" she asked.

"I am. He hasn't been right in months. I've known him in better times, and he normally wouldn't act so rashly. He's under a lot of stress. It's difficult for any man to self-attribute blame."

Alanna shook her head. "It's... fine," she huffed, and thrusting a thumb over her shoulder. "We've no need to discuss it, really. Would you escort me through town?"

"Of course. Going home?"

Alanna spun about, scanning the winding streets and the endless rows of buildings before her. She squinted, following her man's string.

"No, I'm going to the... port district... the coliseum, perhaps," she softly replied, continuing down the steps and towards the city. Solomon walked beside her.

"Ah. Another five-second performance in the arena, I take it?"

"I suppose," Alanna shrugged indifferently.

Solomon was describing Talos' latest excursion into being a warrior of the arena, of course. It had so far been quite the public venture for the modest Talos, if not quite profitable as well; most of the residents of Solais and it's surrounding counties had heard of his name by now, and Talos was, once again, absurdly rich. Women giggled his name as he walked by, and men cowered in fear when he approached. She knew Talos' loathed that part - he despised both fame and the famous - but he had reasoned that the money was too good to pass up on. Combined with a Court Sorceress's salary, the pair could be purchasing acres just outside the city within the next year if they wanted to.

Alanna and Solomon made their way downhill towards the port of Solais via the main road from the castle. It was a paved, eight-wide avenue laid through the exquisite castle and bay districts, where statues and fountains were plentiful, and the buildings to either side of the street had ample room between their neighbors. No structure besides the castle could rise higher than two stories here, giving the area an open feeling that the city proper did not. The pair made the fifteen-minute trek mostly in silence; Alanna wasn't in the mood for gossip anyway, and Solomon wasn't one to speak idly.

Eventually the wide avenue branched off into many a narrow street. The buildings here turned from stone to wood and crowded tall around them, and the clothes of the citizenry transformed from fineries to necessities. The air suddenly felt heavy with fog and smoke, plenty a beggar now appeared on every corner, and merchants from all walks of life hawked their wares proudly. Solomon finally spoke up once they'd turned onto a smaller road that led to the port district.

"You know, you put quite the pressure on me for the coming day; having to locate and convince a woman worthy enough to join me at the high table."

Alanna flashed him a glance and a smile. "You're a King's man, Solomon. Surely you know someone?"

"No one available... at least, none that I'd dare bring in front of such an audience," he dully jested, getting a polite laugh out of Alanna. "I was thinking you could assist me. I'm sure you know plenty of suitable women in the city."

"I fear work and family have kept me far too busy to socialize," she smiled.

"Let us socialize tonight, then."

Alanna giggled. "No-no-no. If you want to find a proper lady, you shouldn't be seen with me. I'll ask Talos to go with you instead; he's an expert," she explained with a wink.

"Talos? But wouldn't that make things more difficult?"

"Nope!" she bubbly replied. "You see, he's merely the bait. Once they realize he's unavailable and they've no hope to ever court him, you enter the stage and charm them. In a day they'll forget about him altogether, and you'll have a date your," she gave him an obvious once-over, "physical qualities wouldn't have captured on their own."

"And if he doesn't make his prior arrangements obvious?" Solomon smirked.

"Oh, he will. He'd never dare to betray me," Alanna declared with a devious squint.

Alanna glanced ahead towards a nearing set of signs, which displayed the direction of nearby attractions with pictures and words carved in wood. They turned left down an alleyway behind the approaching row of shops, a route that locals used if they weren't in the mood to be hassled by a dozen vendors on their stroll. Solomon picked up the conversation once they left the alleyway five minutes later and entered Founder's Plaza, where the marble Coliseum of Solais stood tall before them. The cheers of the crowd within were raucous and distracting, even from here, and Alanna pinged against her man's will to ensure he wasn't the one yet inspiring them.

"Any advice for a man who hasn't charmed anyone in years?" Solomon asked.

Alanna almost chuckled, thinking his ask to be sarcasm. A quick skim his mind revealed that he spoke true, however, and so she answered just as seriously.

"Make her laugh. Pretend you're ignorant of the Kingdom's woes, and be someone that you'd like to have a second conversation with. Lie, essentially. The rest will fall into place." Solomon looked towards her, expecting her to continue. Alanna smiled and murmured, "it's what I do."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're quite chilling when you want to be?"

"Heard it once or twice," she shrugged.

A large crowd had gathered before the gates of the Coliseum of Solais, signaling that the stands were already at capacity in anticipation for the main event. This would have been seen as a problem for anyone but the Chancellor and Court Sorceress of Solais, but, since the King had a private balcony within the arena to watch the games at his leisure, Alanna and Solomon were simply allowed inside after a quick flash of the King's Sigil.

Deafening cheers and shouts drowned out the world as they walked through the gates and made their way up the steps to the King's private balcony. The balcony provided a great outlook over the arena sands and the two-thousand-strong crowd watching on, and was currently unoccupied. They took two seats near the fore, leaving the twin thrones behind them empty.

The two warriors currently fighting on the sands were evenly-matched, and it took another three minutes for the one in black to have seven flags raised in his favor. His victory was announced with booming voice, the crowd erupted with cheer, and the two warriors walked off the sands after clutching one another's forearms in honor of a hard-fought match. While the death of a combatant certainly wasn't rare in Solais, it was never the intent. Slavery had been banned in Solais almost fifty years ago, and bloodsport had disappeared shortly thereafter.

The announcer let the crowd settle before heralding the main event of the day. Alanna checked on Talos telepathically as the announcer's booming voice brought all else to silence, and found him idly reviewing his sword in a darkened chamber. He was up next.

"Presenting our challenger! Hailing from the dreamlands of Santaria, he's the Champion of Tellaro, the Slayer of Falx the Destroyer, the Inexhaustible Skull-crusher, Sir Mallius Spillo!"

The man who walked onto the sands and before the enormous crowd could barely be described as a man at all; he must have been seven feet tall, wore his black-and-green armor plate like an extension of his skin, and carried a pair of massive, fearsome battleaxes that any mortal should have required the strength of both hands to wield. He raised both axes towards the crowd and received some cheer, some laughs, and a cascading wave of dread.

"And his opponent! You all know his name! He's the undisputed Champion of Solais, the Ruiner of your Daughter's Chastity, Lord Talos of Evoraaa!"

Talos didn't enter the deafening arena with an air of confidence or swagger; he merely paced forward as if victory was predestined, showing absolutely no enthusiasm as he neared the center of the sands under the chants of two and a thousand admirers. He had on his dark armor of leather-and-chain, which was light enough to allow him to dance, but would fail to prevent those battleaxes from cleaving him in two if it weren't a glancing blow. Dawnbringer, his ornate sword of destiny, was sheathed at his hip, and he instead gripped a mundane and blunted blade designed for non-lethal use in the arena.

"First to seven strikes wins! Fighters, are you ready?!"

Sir Mallius raised his battleaxes and roared towards the heavens. Talos raised his blade without uttering a word, his piercing gaze never leaving his opponent's face.

"Begin!"

Sir Mallius lunged at the swordsman as he confidently strode towards him, swinging one axe horizontally while leaving the other in reserve. Talos dodged the slow-moving weapon simply with a turn of his torso, then thrust his blade through the gap. Steel rang against steel, and one flag raised in Talos' favor as he pirouetted around the monster-of-a-man in green, striking him again on the back, and then again on the shoulder before Mallius could turn about to meet him.

Twin battleaxes sang blindly through the air as Mallius turned, hoping to catch Talos off-guard; but Talos already was far out of range, having feinted away a second earlier. The swordsman instead circled his Santarian opponent with cold stride and colder glare, like a razorfin circling its wounded prey at sea.