A Tale of Blades & Blood-Chapter 4: The Tunnels

[Orevian's Point of View]

The tunnels were just as the myth said they would be. They were wide and long, each sound making a soft echo in the distance. They were lit just enough so that all corners were visible, so our caravan had to light several lanterns across the way. We were not alone. Plenty of other carriages could be seen, mostly from merchants, along with oxen, stag, and tame wolf.

We were near the tunnel's exit. According to our navigator, we should arrive at the outer skirts of Northrest in about a couple of hours. As of then, we had nothing to do but wait. My father sits at a different carriage, and I am left alone with my sister, Orelia Ballister, who is destined to wed the young Noran Ravenhan, a young prince, the son of King Nosos Ravenhan.

I gaze at my sister, observing her expression. She's nervous, no doubt. She had met the young man during a ball at our palace during a celebration, which included all of the houses in The Northern Island, House Ravenhan, House Gryphith, and even House Strix, our once worst enemy, now allies.

"What's wrong, Orelia?" I ask, not taking my eyes away from her.

"Nothing, Orevian, it's just that..." my sister begins, with a sigh of anxiety, whilst fidgeting her fingers and looking anywhere but at me, "...I'm nervous..." as expected, of course she is, "...what if the family doesn't accept me?" she asks.

"Father already arranged your wedding with Noran a long time ago." I mention, "King Nosos has already spoken; the wedding will happen, just two weeks from now. Who knows? Perhaps it will be better than father's wedding."

"Better than father's wedding?" my sister scoffs, "I remembered the story..." she began, "...father's wedding was even grander than anyone could ever imagine. Chandeliers of gold—"

"High grade wine, a great dance—" I add.

"And the party for the men was wild! People said father was so drunk he stood on the grand table and danced for the visitors!" my sister added. We couldn't control our laughter, and we sounded like small toddlers who just received their toys.

We pause for a while, then my sister spoke again.

"I really do hope Ser Noran Ravenhan is still the same..." my sister remarked, "...still charming, handsome..." she recounts, smiling wider as she goes through her list of traits, "...and childish, just like you, brother."

"Childish? Me? You are surely joking..." I reply.

"I am." she begins, her smile ever slowly fading from her beautiful face, "I feel hopeful for our marriage, yet I cannot ignore the risks this might pose..."

"Risks?" I ask, "What risks?"

She pauses for a while, thinking of a witty response. "When House Ballister is to be united with House Ravenhan in marriage, our kingdom will grow. We will be able to rule the southern part of the Nortenhein with much more ease..." she said whilst looking outside the carriage.

"What risks are there?" I ask, "The only thing I see are benefits." I added.

"Can you really handle ruling this much?" she asks.

I pause for a moment, almost lost in thought. I was never sure whether I could rule the entirety of the kingdom, but I could surely never rule it all, now that we are to be in control of the entire Northern Island...

"Brother."

"What? Of course I can handle it!" I exclaim proudly, hiding my doubts within.

"I can be hand of the king to guide you." she replies with a joking tone.

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I admire her for a short bit, then I respond. "And replace Lord Aerystor Leoan, who has served our kingdom for decades?" I ask, "House Leoan would be most unsatisfied with that." I added.

"I am merely joking." my sister replies, "Of course it's stupid to pick me as hand of the king when we have a powerful and loyal house serving us."

"I really do believe there are no risks to this wedding." I tell her with confidence.

I open my mouth to speak, but someone interrupts our conversation. It was the navigator, Ser Jaston Murlock, who has been serving our family for nearly a decade now, and has become my father's friend.

"Your majesties..." he says as he bows slightly, "...we have exited the tunnel. We have arrived at the outer skirts of Northerst, in the town of Verysburg, come see for yourselves, your majesties, while the horses rest for a while."

My sister excitedly and swiftly came out of the carriage. I followed swiftly. The warmer air hit me hard. The skies here were none like the one back home at the keep. The clouds here were many, yet sunlight pierced through them, unlike the dim landscape north. The grass here was visible, even though most of them were dried up and brown in color, much better than at home, where the grass lays dead under inches of snow.

The houses were spread out, each one made of wooden logs from spruce trees, and each one having a relatively large field next to them. The people there were hardworking and industrious, practically breaking their backs from farming every day. There were also some who herded sheep and horses, and the occasional cow.

The countryside here was lively, unlike the snowy villages north of the Nortenhein.

"Why haven't we spent our times here more often?" my father remarks with a wide and open smile on his face, looking all around him, mesmerized by the landscape.

"I can't believe it, too, father..." my sister begins, "...this is amazing!" she exclaims, raising her arms in the air.

I am simply amazed and speechless. No wonder why people who travelled here from up north, where we live, would praise the landscape and wish they could live there. From behind us, Ser Jaston approaches us, with a tall, and somewhat old man right beside him.

"It truly is..." the old man began, "...wonderful, is it not, your grace?" he asks.

"It is, Lord Merril Abbister." my father remarks, lending his hands out, which is met with a firm shake.

My father looks at me and my sister, then quickly looks back to the old man. "Oh! These are my children, Orevian, and Orelia..." he says, whilst introducing us to the old man. "And he..." he begins, patting the old man's chest plate, "...is Lord Merril Abbister, head of House Abbister, and commander of our forces."

It turned out, the old man was the head of our military, second to my father, who truly oversaw all activities and actions of our forces.

"Your graces." he greets us as he bows down.

"Whatever brings you here, old friend?" my father asks.

"I have come to protect the young royals..." he explains, "...it is not that I distrust House Ravenhan, but a royal family left unprotected is a stupid choice. One small misstep and the family's over." he remarked, a smirk on his face, filled with pride, whilst holding his helmet under his arms.

"We are merely going to a wedding, Lord Merril..." my father explains, "...is there any threats to us at all but bandits and rogue men? We have already brought our guards of 30 men to defend our caravan." he added.

"We the council back at Ororer's Keep thought it was best to send me with you along with some forces of the military, just in case anything was to happen to the heir, the king, or the princess." Lord Merril explained.

"Well, that is quite..." my father pauses, thinking of the right word, "...thoughtful." he says.

"The army has ridden all the way here, and we will accompany you to Northrest Keep itself. Although we will not join your lavish feast, young grace, we will accompany the castle guards in case of any threat." Lord Merril remarks, his smirk disappearing without a trace. He stands up straight, fixing his posture, and greeting the king a farewell, before riding on his great stallion, brown and gold, and rides off into the distance to join his bannermen.

"Your majesties..." Ser Jaston begins, "...we ought to continue this journey. We should arrive later in the evening if we are to depart now. The horses should be ready." he says.

My father nods his head, and we slowly get back to our carriages. Sooner or later, the horses began to move. In the distance, I could see a large army, with banners raised, red and yellow were their color. This was, of course, our banner, with our sigil, the mountain goat, nestled in the middle.

The army was large, around 20,000 men, in my estimation. I wonder what brought Lord Merril to ride here with such an army? Perhaps there might be other risks to this wedding other than love. Jealous rival houses might try to utilize the wedding to attack our family. One of these families might be House Strix, but it is not likely, since we are allies now, rather than enemies. That was in the past.

At the Spire... [Forien's Point of View]

Father called me out to the balcony earlier, and now I regret following him. His schemes have always been driven by vengeance, but this time, they feel calculated—terrifyingly so.

"I received news this morning," my father begins, his hand trailing along the cold stone barrier.

"What is it, father?" I ask, though dread knots in my stomach.

"There is to be a wedding two weeks from now," he says, his brows kni,. "The Ballister girl will marry the Ravenhan heir. And the entire Ballister family will be present."

The very thought of it makes my spine chill. "You don't mean to attack them there... do you?"

"Why waste such an opportunity?" He turns to face me, his sharp gaze piercing the fog of my hesitation.

"It's a union of houses, a celebration!" I protest, my fists clenching. "Why resort to such cruelty?"

"Because these 'celebrations' are war by another name," he snaps, his voice hard as the stone beneath our feet.

"But—"

"Listen, Forien!" His shout reverberates through the air, silencing me. "You are my son. As my son, you will lead with me in battle. It's time you learned the true Strix way of ruling."

I remain silent, my defiance burning inside me.

"When the armies arrive, we will sail to Northrest under the guise of allies. I'll see to it that each Ballister is served a meal laced with poison—tasteless, undetectable."

My stomach churns. "You would kill them all? Even the bride?"

His expression hardens. "I will do whatever it takes to make them fear House Strix. Ravenhan will bend the knee when the Ballisters are gone, and we'll control the Northrest Keep. From there, we'll take the Northern Island piece by piece."

His plan is meticulous, cold, and horrifyingly logical. But I cannot ignore the weight of it.

"They spared us, Father. When they could've wiped us out, they showed us mercy—"

"Mercy is weakness!" His roar shakes the air, his eyes blazing. "You are mistaken to think Strix and Ballisters can ever be allies."

"What has our house become?" I whisper, my voice trembling with a mix of anger and despair.

"Enough." His tone is final, unyielding. "Go to your quarters. And never speak of this foolishness in my presence again."

I retreat, leaving the balcony—and my father's shadow—behind.