Paladin the path begins

Luna leant back in her chair stifling a yawn. Since the failed assassination of her father, she had been forced into council meetings. He had recovered remarkably in the following days, she suspected Paladins had helped the palace healers, though they were silent on the matter, indeed on most things lately she thought. Several days later and the King was back holding court once more, though he kept her close by now, getting her more involved in the running of the Kingdom than she had an interest in. Luna wished she’d followed her sister’s lead and simply shut herself away for the last week. She looked over to her father, how he maintained interest in these things amazed her. Laurdin, the minister in charge of public works, pleaded his case for more funding for the sewer network, whatever that was! Her father asked questions of him, turning to her uncle to check if such monies were available for use, then he suddenly turned to her.

“What do you think of Laurdin’s proposal Lunathion?” he asked her raising an eyebrow. Had he noticed her yawn?.

She shifted in her chair to sit upright quickly, smoothing out her skirt to stall for time.

“Well... I think that...it’s a good idea” she replied, hoping her answer seemed measured.

“I think perhaps you should pay attention more Lunathion, you will rule here one day. Though you may find it dull, it is necessary for the running of this Kingdom” her father said sternly as she shrank back in her chair.

She felt the eyes of the council on her as she tried to compose herself again.

“I’m sorry father, I’ll try harder in future,” she said timidly, unable to meet his gaze.

“I’m sure you will my daughter, I’m calling a halt to this meeting temporarily gentlemen, my physicians forbid me to over exert myself, and I have already been at this longer than is allowed for me,” her father told them as he leant back in his chair with a visible flinch.

The other council members stood in unison with her, bowing to her father. As they filed out of the chamber her father motioned her over. He stood slowly, leaning on the great table with his one good hand to steady himself, his face going pale.

“I fear this will be your duty before you are ready for it Luna, but I don’t trust my brother. I fear he would not put the kingdom’s interests before his own ends... whatever they may be” he said to her, starting to sweat profusely.

“Don’t talk nonsense father, you’ll recover from this and be stronger than ever” she replied calmly, helping steady him.

“I fear I was too soft raising you and your sister, after losing your mother, then your brother... I never foresaw this day coming if I’m being honest. I will have to rectify things as soon as possible” he said, his voice wavering.

Deadra entered the room from her father’s apartments, taking his arm gently.

“It’s okay now my King, I have you. Thank you Luna” Deadra said to her kindly.

Luna let go of her father as he stumbled lamely through the door to his chambers with Deadra, she felt a pang of guilt at her part in doing this to him, though the alternative would have been his death. She stood alone in the chamber awhile before leaving herself, back into the reception area of the palace. She went through the east wing and out into the palace gardens where the civil workers of the palace spent their breaks. Luna walked slowly through the garden, listening to the choir practice in a large ornate clearing where she spotted Reedin playing his harp in accompaniment to the others.

“You seem happier than usual Lunathion,” came a voice from behind her which she instantly recognised.

She looked over her shoulder to where Elldran stood, he had lost so much of his arrogance since Tar’vid had escaped, he was an ass and was so guilty in the plot to kill her father it hurt, but he was still family.

“I’m sorry about Arklan uncle... I’d always thought him a harmless fool” she lied, knowing Tar’vid to be possibly the most deadly swordsman she’d ever met.

“You couldn’t have known Luna, he deceived you well I think. After all, it is human nature to deceive, who’d have thought he could arrange such a complex escape plan. I just hope my son makes it home from Fernhaven before the snows” he told her, his voice wavering a little at the mention of his son.

“I’m sure Eldrin will be fine uncle, he’s a remarkable warrior after all” she replied, knowing full well Eldrin’s skill.

Elldran nodded in reply before walking away from her and Luna looked back to the choir again as they started up a song to Yulandir, she spotted Reedin coming towards her, his harp tucked under his arm carefully.

“Princess, it’s nice to see you safe after the prison attack,” he said, bowing as he did so.

“I needed to get out of the palace, I’m finding it suffocating. What with all the responsibilities my father now expects of me” she grumbled, folding her arms childishly.

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news then princess, but I’ve heard whispers of a prince from Vieldon being summoned to Keldran. Perhaps your father has decided if you cannot rule perhaps your Joined might” Reedin told her sadly. She kissed Reedin’s cheek lightly and he blushed.

“Thank you Reedin, I’m sure my father was going to try and catch me off guard with this, I just have to do better in my duties from now on,” she told him gently.

Reedin stepped back and bowed again before returning to the choir. Perhaps in another lifetime, she may have considered him for her Joined, but Tar’vid had her heart now, whether he wanted it or not.

Luna wandered the gardens for a time longer, feeling it had been years since she had done so. Time passed by slowly as she came upon a break in the tall hedgerows that surrounded the gardens, though others passed it by without a glance Luna couldn’t help be drawn to it. She walked through carefully, minding her step on the steep staircase descending down into a small open space, dominated by a large statue. Luna noticed the sides sloping upwards were covered in a variety of flowers in a beautiful array of colours. She skipped down the stairway happily, feeling oddly at peace. It was a feeling she hadn’t truly felt since Barrow-helm and wondered how she had never come to this place before. She stood before the statue in no time, somehow recognising it as her mother, immediately she felt happy recalling her mother’s face after so many centuries. Luna felt a tear roll down her cheek as the memory of her mother rose unbidden to the surface, she could still hear her mother’s screams as the Paladins murdered her. Luna sat by the statue a while, listening to the bird song, watching the butterflies and bees work away, feeling the magic of the place that kept winter at bay and in a perpetual summer. Later, with a heavy heart, Luna got up to leave, though she promised herself she’d return as soon as possible. She started to ascend the stairs, though something made her look back to her mother’s statue, seeing a small stream of water run from its eyes Luna blinked in disbelief and the statue was back to the way it had always been. Perhaps a trick of the light she thought, leaving the serenity of the garden behind her.

Luna stepped out of the garden into darkness, she looked behind her finding the opening in the hedgerows had gone, unbroken, as though it had never been.

“Princess?” asked one of her father’s guards, a look of confusion on his face.

“What are you doing out here so late?” he asked.

Luna straightened up, shaking off her own confusion and putting the garden from her mind.

“I seem to have lost track of time, I’ll be heading back into the palace now” she replied, hastily walking away.

She wasn’t sure if she had simply fallen asleep and imagined the garden. If not then the place was enchanted somehow, perhaps even dangerous, her father was sure to know more about it though. Luna hurried back through the garden, all she cared about now was focusing on her duties, she wouldn’t... no, she couldn’t be joined with a Prince of Vieldon. Luna strode through the palace lost in her thoughts and if any other guards challenged her, she didn’t notice. As she passed her sister’s door she thought to knock, but it was late now and could wait until morning, besides if Fiora wanted to speak with her, she’d have left her door open for her. Luna entered her own rooms quickly and undressed for bed, dressing herself up in a thick wool nightdress against the cold night air. She slid under her padded bed cover and fell asleep almost immediately, a dreamless sleep coming surprisingly easy.

After a while, Luna woke with a start at a banging on her door. She sat up stiffly, rubbing at her eyes as she found it was still dark out.

“Enter!” she called, stifling a gaping yawn.

Reedin entered, bowing as he stepped inside hurriedly.

“Forgive the intrusion princess, but your uncle has called an emergency meeting of the King’s Council, I thought you may wish to attend regardless of an invite,” he told her urgently, straightening up as she noted he carried his longsword and wore full armour, Reedin was expecting resistance.

Luna leapt out of bed, tossing aside the covers carelessly and pulling off her night dress, sprinting to her wardrobe she pulled out a suitable dress, quickly pulling it on and ignoring Reedin’s blushes. Luna strode to her mirror, fixing her hair as best she could before pulling on her boots and passing a red-faced Reedin. They moved at a quick pace as several more of her guards joined them, each dressed for battle she noted. Luna arrived outside the council chambers within minutes, her path immediately barred by the black armoured figures of her uncle’s guards.

“I’m sorry princess, this meeting is invited members only” Forvin told her, holding his ground calmly.

“This is my father’s court and I will not be denied entry by you, now let me pass lackey!” she hissed with venom.

She had always despised Forvin, he was the opposite of Reedin almost to a fault. They had butted heads several times in the past, that he had bested her at sparring annoyed her still. Luna pushed past him and he grabbed her arm, immediately she heard steel rasping as blades were drawn.

“Let her go Forvin, you won’t win here” Luna heard Reedin state icily as she turned around.

Luna batted Forvin’s hand away as Reedin and her guards, now joined by eight of her father’s guards encircled Forvin and the others. Forvin no longer tried to restrain her and let go. Luna thought about what short work Tar’vid would make of him and smiled wryly. Forvin’s face burned with anger as he motioned the other guards to sheathe their blades and step aside. Luna pushed by them contemptuously, pushing open the doors to the council chamber, hearing raised voices as she entered.

“... and what’s more the princess knew of this” she heard her uncle decree with hatred in his voice, though her arrival cut him off immediately.

“What did I know uncle... please don’t stop on my account?” she said innocently, sitting in her appointed chair elegantly, though she noted her sister’s seat still sat empty.

Her father looked over to her, barely contained rage burning in his eyes.

“My brother alleges that you were privy to the knowledge of the assassination attempt my daughter, not only that, he also alleges that you provided the means for him to kill me. Manticore venom the healers tell me” her father said to her, Luna knew he believed none of it, the anger was towards her uncle.

Her uncle looked nervous, perhaps he had thought she would be arrested immediately. He clearly hadn’t thought his accusations through and had come out with a torrent of baseless accusations. The other members looked at her nervously, though none would meet her glare and she didn’t blame them, her face must have been the picture of outrage.

“I deny these false allegations, of course, I would also like to know from what source my... good uncle has gained this damned slander against me,” she said calmly.

No one spoke, even moved. Her father relaxed back in his chair, maybe glad she was asserting control now

“Well!?” she shouted angrily, slamming her hands down on the table and standing in fury.

“I too would like to know this brother, make sure you tread carefully. I’m mere moments away from having you thrown into the scar” her father said slowly, his anger threatening to boil over.

Her uncle shrank back at his brother’s fury, then composed himself. Standing shakily to his feet, sifting through the pages of notes in front of him.

“Well, before I was interrupted, by someone who wasn’t invited here may I add, the assassin that was apprehended just moments after killing Jaike and gravely wounding yourself brother...”

“You will address me as King Sollest or your majesty until the day I decide you are back in my good graces Elldran” her father stated flatly, never dropping his deadly gaze.

Her uncle was taken aback and fumbled his notes clumsily, he was trying to take some control back, but her father was having none of it.

“Forgive me your majesty... yes, after the attack, princess Lunathion had the assassin apprehended and locked away. Then later that evening the princess made an unauthorized visit to the assassin with Deadra, where I believe they arranged an attack on the jail which resulted in the deaths of six guards and fourteen of the assailants, and as a by-product the assassin escaped, I have it on good authority that this assassin was a Paladin named Tar’vid and also that the princess knew of his identity the whole time, going down to the dungeon that night to free him before he could be revealed to us” her uncle said with a sneer, perhaps in his own mind sensing victory.

Luna was surprised how calm she was, even after he had revealed information she had thought secret from everyone. She straightened up slowly, gracefully sitting back down. Her uncle’s face dropped at her lack of reaction and his shoulders visibly sagged.

“That is a fine story uncle, but I fail to see any proof in this wild theory of yours. In fact, I consider your implication that I have had relations with this human slanderous, besides you implicate the king’s spymaster, I believe that is treasonous” she told him calmly, hoping her false dislike of humans shone through to throw off her father.

She kept watching on her father from the corner of her eye and Luna thought she saw disapproval on his face. It couldn’t be though, her father notoriously had hated humans for centuries.

“It is true, this is just a theory... for the time being, but I have sent out my best manhunters. They left almost as soon as the assassin was found to have escaped. They will bring him to justice and reveal the truth before this council” her uncle told them all, with utter conviction in his words.

“How can we trust you will bring him back alive, or that we can trust your man hunters to not just bring back some random human, broken, to say whatever you want,” she asked sceptically, looking to her father, who nodded his approval.

“Simple princess, your sister Fiora is with them” he replied, sitting back down again.

Her father stood angrily, his body shaking with anger. Luna was shocked, Fiora was more than likely to cut his throat than bring him to any kind of justice, but that was probably the idea.

“Lunathion, go after them. Bring your sister home... now Luna!” her father shouted angrily, pointing to the door.

Luna stood and bolted for the door as quickly as she dared in a long dress, her uncle’s accusations now making less sense than ever. Why would he destroy his reputation so badly, what had happened in the depths of the prison that kept Deadra silent?

“All of you leave, I need to have words with my brother... ” she heard her father say, she never thought she would fear for her uncle. But even she was afraid of her father’s anger right now.