Princes of Dolyena
I arrived at the embassy and just finished bathing when my signet ring started to blink and vibrate. All four jewels glowed. This means the King, the Queen, my father and my mother are waiting on the meeting. This is unusually. Usually, it is the King, my father or both but not all four. I concentrate on my ring and I am in the meeting room.
I am surprised because the room is different than I remembered and the room has a lot more people. At the table is King Trexal directly in front of me. To his right is the Crown Prince Melcro (my uncle). He is about my height (5'11) and heavier (220 lbs). He is attractive and very serious. He is neutral about me. To Melcro's right is his son, Simon. Simon is a little shorter than his father (5'10) and muscular. He is of average looks and we are on good terms. To Simon's right is my father, Prince Hermes. My father is 6'1", handsome and in good shape (about 190 lbs). Next to my father were my two brothers (half), Pharal and Mario. They were opposites. Pharal is tall (6’3”) and thin (. Mario is shorter (5’9’) and stout (250 lbs). They were nice guy usually but today they looked unhappy. An empty chair was beside Mario. To the left of the King is my uncle Prince Krugure. Uncle Krugure was a bear of a man. He is about 6’5” and 300 lbs. He is good nature and dangerous. Next to Uncle Kruger was his son Fredrick. Fredrick is larger than his father (6’6” and 350 lbs) and is not good nature and is very dangerous. He seems to be holding a grudge for an encounter we had a couple of years ago when I broke his nose to make him release me from a bear hug. At the table are King and all of the princes of Dolyena. Behind the King are four more people, the royal dukes Kenlaw and Bowind and their sons Lawher and Windgo. Royal dukes are like prince-light. They are married to princesses (King’s daughter Excata and Freia). This makes them part of the royal family but not princes. Their place in ranking of succession does not change (this discourages marrying into the royal family and killing to move up). They do not move up or down, but their sons have royal blood and are high in the order of succession. Kenlaw and Bowind are in front of all dukes and are address as dukes.
The placement of everyone is to convey a message to me. Everyone is seating in their ranking of succession. The Crown Prince (Melcro) is to the left of the King and he is first in line to assume the throne (he is the King’s oldest son, but the King could change his mind and elevate any of the princes to Crown Prince). Next in line his Melcro’s son, Simon. After Simon, Prince Kruger is next in line. Fredrick is after his father Prince Kruger. After Fredrick my father, Prince Hermes is in line to throne. After my father, Pharal, Mario, and myself (remember the empty chair) are next in line of succession.
Trexal: Chalker thing have changed since you have been acknowledged as royal blood. Melcro has expressed a strong desire to be informed on your activities and when your father and I told him about where you were and what you were doing, he became concerned that you were overstepping your authority and wished all of princes to hear what is going on now. I turned my attention to Melcro. Melcro: Chalker are you trying to start a war with Bicarn? No, I am not trying to start a war with Bicarn, my Prince. Melcro: Why are you harassing the Bicarn ambassador? I am not sure what you mean. Melcro: Why did you set our embassy next to Bicarn’s embassy and who told you to open an embassy anyway? Bicarn is a neighboring state and the best way to keep an eye on a neighbor is to keep them close. I do not understand you question “who told me to set-up an embassy”. Melcro: I did not give you permission to set-up and embassy. No, you did not. Melcro: So, who gave you the authority? I look at Melcro and I say nothing. I watch him come to an understanding of who gave me permission. When I saw him nod his head slightly in understanding, I began to answer his question. The king and my father thought having an embassy in Sapphire was a smart thing to do. Bicarn wants its own empire and eventually we will be its way. They have been in Sapphire for awhile and we need to catch-up. I put the embassy next to them to rattle them. I don’t trust them and keeping them off balance is good for us. Did they complain about me? Melcro: In way they did. They send an ambassador to congratulate us on our new embassy in Sapphire and how impressed they were with our ambassador. They said you visited their ambassador in Sapphire and made him nerves. How? Melcro: He said that any southern expansion would be ill advised and the north was their best bet. I did not such thing. I just reminded him about their last expansion attempt and how it ended and who ended it. Melcro: He also said you wanted to buy a keep in Bicarn. Well, I did inquire about a piece of property in Bicarn. Melcro: Is it valuable? I am not sure and if they agree to sell the property then I will know it is not valuable to them.
My Prince, Bicarn just fought a war with an outcome almost as bad as losing. They spent a lot of blood and treasure and gain very little, if anything. In other words, they have been weaken significantly and are nervous because they know what they would do to a neighbor that is very weak. They would try to take some or all of the neighbor property. My Prince, did they inquire about our recent contact with our neighbors? Melcro: Yes, in an off-handed way they did. They asked was there a regional meeting that they missed. I told them not recently. I can’t say for sure, but I will ask the emperor next time I speak to him, but I think one of the reasons Bicarn established an embassy in the Empire is to feel out the Emperor’s attitude about them annexing some of their some of their neighboring kingdoms.
Kruger: You have audiences with the emperor. Yes, Uncle. Kruger: How long have you been in Sapphire? I have been in Sapphire about two or three weeks. Kruger: When did you speak to the emperor? I spoke to the Emperor on my second day in Sapphire. I made an appointment on the first day. Kruger: How did you get an audience so quickly? I’ve heard of people having to wait for months. Well, I did have a few advantages. I arrived in Sapphire with my companions Rory a map maker and Trace a mage and a beautiful elven warrior who is known to almost everyone in Sapphire. Her name is Shawna, but I am sure she has gone by many name. I know very little about her except that she is renowned, loved and feared in this part of the world and she is a favorite of Delsa. The Emperor seemed to known her personally. I also carried a message from Mensep. Pharal: What was the message from Mensep? The message was that the nation of Moedia is moving (war) against the empire in two months. Kruger: What happen when you delivered the message? The king’s men with help from my companions and me, seized a Moedian ship and detained the crew. The King also closed all the empire ports to Moedia.
Hermes: What is your plan for Bicarn? I think we should contact our neighbors and talk to Bicarn about helping them with their borders. Hermes: Huh? We should offer, no insist, that the neighbor kingdoms put forts in Bicarn to protect Bicarn from attack. Hermes: Who will attack Bicarn from the South, West, or the East? Well, no one since we will be there protecting their border. Hermes: What if they refuse? Well, remind them that we and our neighbors spent a lot of money fortify our borders when we that they might evade us and if Bicarn can reimburse us for our cost, then we can believe they can protect their border, but if they cannot pay then we will setup military bases in Bicarn. Melcro: Why on earth would they agree? Because they are weak and we should keep them weak. If they are able to consolidate the land they have taken then they will look for other acquisitions. King: I will think about your plan.
Simon: What about Malprin? They also sent a representative to complain about you. Well, Malprin is complicated. I am not trying to start a war with Malprin, but I have taken every opportunity that presents itself to torment Malprin and it representatives. Melcro: Why? Because they are slavers and I think it’s my duty to stop them when I can. Simon: They claimed that you stole and destroyed their property. Did they demand payment? Simon: No. The reason they did not demand payment is that I have not stolen or destroyed slaves. We purchased a large group of slaves from them. They may have thought they were under duress but we paid the quoted price. Simon: Why would they think they were in danger? They were trying to sell slaves to some local nobles and we gave them a choice to sale the slaves to us or die? Simon: That sounds like duress? There was about 24 people in their party and only five in our party, six if you count dog. I think they are cowards and it showed. Simon: Ok, you didn’t steal the slaves, but about their ship and other property. Their ship and compound did catch on fire and the local King did arrest the crew of the ship and decreed slavery illegal in their realm and we did advise the King in his decision to make slavery illegal, but I cannot confirm or deny any involvement in the fires that cost them their property. Trexal: So, you burn their ship and compound. Not by myself.
Sire, I have some more information Malprin that I have to share with you. Trexal: Go on. Malprin has put a kill order out on me and maybe the royals of Dolyena. Trexal: What do you mean maybe? Well, there has only been one attempt and the guy might not have told the whole truth. Trexal: I will talk to Malprin about this matter. Is there anything else?
Well, I have acquired a ship. The ship used to be a Malprin slaver ship. Melcro: How did you acquire this ship? During a rescue on the ship, the captain and the merchants on the ship were killed and there was a void in leadership on the ship, so I claimed the ship. We negotiated with the crew to stay on and now I have a ship. Melcro: So you stole a Malprin ship. No, I just exercise the right of salvage on the ship. Melcro: There were people on the ship and the ship if the ship was able to sail it is not a salvage. I forgot to mention the ship was beached when I claimed the ship, and the authorities in the area will confirm the ship was beached. I do not think Malprin is aware of the loss of the ship. Melcro: So, you have burned a Malprin ship and now acquired a Malprin ship, and you wonder why they want to kill you.
Melcro: I think we should recall Chalker back to Dolyena. Trexal: Why? Melcro: He is dangerous and uncontrollable. He will have us at war with Bicarn, Malprin and who knows who else he has offended. He should be recalled and interrogated to find out everything he has done. Trexal: I know more about what he has done than I care to know about. There will be not interrogation, Melcro. His role as ambassador has brought the kingdom treasure and contact from all over. Envoys from across the land have come to Doylena because of his activities. The emperor himself contact me and expressed his confidence if our ambassador. Melcro: I was not aware. Trexal: Now you are aware. Kruger: I think he should stay out in the wild. If he is tormenting Malprin, I am all for it. He is bringing in customers and making new friends and enemies. Hermes: Melcro, I don’t think you want to bring him home just, yet. I will catch you up on his dealing with the First Chosen and it is interest and terrifying. Melcro: I see I have a lot of catching up to do.
Sire, I have a request. I would like Fredrick to become the ambassador in Sapphire. Krugure: But Fredrick hates you. Why would you want him in Sapphire with you? He might kill you if he gets a chance. Uncle, Fredrick doesn’t hate me. We had a misunderstanding that I am sure is over. Right Fred? Fredrick: I am going to go with the “I hate you” theme. But Fred, I apologized and I even help reset you nose. I think you can get over the fight. Fredrick: Why would I want to go to Sapphire and more importantly why would you want me there? Sapphire is the capital of the empire. It’s an exciting place. You will hobnob with the emperor and the rest of the royal court. You can increase our country’s influence in empire and increase the country’s treasure and your own personal wealth. You will be introduced as Ambassador Prince Fredrick of Doylena. The reason I want you there is that you are smart, resourceful, big and scary looking and since the embassy is next door to the Bicarn embassy, you will terrify their ambassador every time your step outdoors. So, Cousin what do you say? Fredrick: I still don’t trust you, but you make good points. If the King wants me to go then I will go. Trexal: Chalker, I will send Fredrick to Sapphire as ambassador and to keep an eye on you. Melcro, will this calm your nerves about Chalker. Melcro: Yes, it is a start. I guess I have a lot to learn about this situation. Trexal: Chalker, I will talk to you later. You are dismissed. I am back in my room. I must keep an eye on Melcro. I foresee a confrontation with Melcro in the future.