It was the strangest of things, she had come back from her expenditure to the market with Naomi, and Beatrice, when not more than a week later did Duncan come to fetch her. She preoccupied herself with writing in her journal, keeping track of the events that had taken place after the departure of the nobles, and other representatives from the various kingdoms. She hadn't spoke to Duncan since their last encounter in the head advisor's chambers, and even more so, when she opened the door to see him standing before her, she was more surprised. She had busied herself with other matters, and almost avoided running into him when possible. Aurelia heard of the arrival of his sister, Isabel, and his brother, Patrick, but she had yet to meet them either. She felt informal in appearance for she had not the time to ready herself proper, and wore her hair raven-black hair loose instead of the typical braided fashion she favored. More importantly, she lacked any of her usual jewelry as well. The only item that she wore, that others could remark on, was the odd choice of her dress; on this day, she had chosen a light blue chiffon, and muslin gown. The dress had sheer, split, arm-sleeves, that allowed her to move her arms about freely. The color was very unlike her tastes, for she normally strayed from lighter shades of color, but this dress had been a gift. Together, Duncan and Aurelia hurried with quick footsteps through the stone corridors of the keep. She remembered back in the hey-day of Heylot's reign, how exquisite the castle looked when she first arrived. Most of the tapestries, and rugs had remained; however, the golden candelabras had disappeared, and where replaced with sturdy iron ones. John had a lot of remodeling done in a sense, as he removed, or either sold the keep's expensive finery's to help pay off the debt. The candelabras provided essential funds from the sale, not a significant amount, but a good portion nonetheless. If she recalled right, they were now in the home of Davos and Sarah Ironbark.
As they came upon the door to the High Council chamber room, Aurelia slowed her walk, allowing Duncan to overtake her in the lead. During their walk, she had said not a word, simply because she didn't know what to say without making the situation seem awkward.
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As Duncan opened the door he avoided making eye contact with Aurelia; things has been a bit awkward since their last exchange. As he walked into the room he could see that both of his siblings had arrived. A seventh chair had been brought up for Patrick and he sat opposite the kings chair, Isabel was sitting next to the kings chair and was browsing through various parchments of paper, she was so fixated that she barely acknowledged Duncan and Aurelia walking into the room.
"When will the others be arriving" said Patrick bluntly "We have much to discuss and little time" Duncan sat down before he replied to his brother.
"It is still early, give them a few more minutes" Duncan said calmly, he knew his brother was not a man who liked being kept waiting. "May I introduce high magister Aurelia Vyncetta, the Magisterial advisor of the high council" Duncan proclaimed. Patrick gave Aurelia a hard stare, while Isabel merely glanced up before reading her notes once again.
"My brother has told me much about you, I am sure that no introduction is needed for me?" Patrick said
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As she entered the room, Patrick, whom she deduced to be Duncan's brother, and Isabel, his sister, all bore a similar resemblance to one another. It was hard to mistake them for anything else, perhaps cousins, but definitely siblings. The other advisors of the High Council had not arrived yet, giving the four now present some privacy. She took her seat quickly, sitting next to Duncan, as she was still unsure of Isabel. Her last conversation regarding his sister came to mind as she reflected back to his cautionary words. His sister was cold, and from the looks of it, so was Patrick, or at least he didn't like to be kept waiting from the sound of it. When Duncan introduced her to his brother and sister, Isabel merely glanced at her. However, Patrick inquired if there needed to be an introduction at all. Her lip curled at the hint of a smile.
"No, you're quite right. It's good to finally meet you both in person, Patrick." She turned her head to Isabel, who remained buried in the sheets of parchment before her. "And you as well, Isabel."
"I hope you have had a welcoming stay despite the ongoing events elsewhere in Formaroth." Aurelia remained cordial in her words, no need to be harsh. Of all things now, she wished she had spoken to Duncan on the way down, and hadn't been so prideful. She could have asked him what to say, or what not to do to gain favour in their eyes. However, she let the matter rest, and instead, reached for a silver pitcher filled with water, and proceeded to fill a goblet full of the liquid. She brought it to her lips, and drank enough to quench her thirst before setting it down next to her hand for easy access. Just as she set the goblet down, the door to the chamber opened, and in came the other advisors they had waited for.
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Alex was the first person to walk in. As he made his way over to the seat next to Aurelia he deliberately avoided making eye contact with either Patrick and Isabel. He knew of their reputation and didn't want to draw their attention. The next was Alice who sat in-between Alex and Patrick; shielding her friend from Patrick's cold gaze. The finial person to enter the room was Cerlina Tuania, the new Head advisor. Cerlina slowly made her way round the table to where Isabel was sitting, instead of sitting down next to her she simply continued to wait next to her.
"It is customary for the head advisor to sit next to the king she said" She said confidently. Isabel slowly looked up and gave Cerlina a cold foul look.
"It wouldn't do any harm to maintain tradition" Duncan added quickly before his sister had a chance to respond, the last thing he needed was an argument between Cerlina and his sister. Isabel's face mellowed slightly, she paused for a moment, before she collected her things and begrudgingly stood up. She threw Cerlina one last hostile look before sitting down in the seat next to her. Before a brief awkward silence Duncan decided to speak up
"The first matter to attend to his the Coronation" Duncan said "We need to solidify my claim as king before more people flock to the Manshrew Alliance"
"Agreed" replied Patrick. "A fortnight seems like a decent amount of time to prepare".
-
The air was stiff between Cerlina, and Isabel, Aurelia figured that the woman that demanded to sit next to the king, was the new head advisor by her demeanor alone. She kept a weary gaze on her, still undecided on whether or not she could be trusted. However, as Duncan had suggested, she put her suspicions aside, and believed it best for Cerlina to prove herself. It was then that Duncan stood up after Isabel collected her pieces of parchments, and chose the seat next to her. Her eyebrows rose in surprise at his mention at arranging his coronation, but she smiled nonetheless. It felt shocking to her to realize that Duncan persisted in becoming King of Formaroth, then again, John was dead, and the pursuit for the throne was more real than ever.
"Will you hold your coronation in the Grand Temple, like King John? I think the public would appreciate seeing their future king be crowned. Manshrew will move quickly to usurp you, so the quicker we can have the coronation in place, the better for you. I can arrange for the scribes to make announcement posters for your coronation, and have them posted in key areas across Nyhem. Will you be reaching out to any of the important figures here for support? Such as the Ironbarks?" She piped up, folding her hands in front of her. This was the first time she spoke to Duncan since their uncomfortable confrontation in the head advisor's chambers, which would now belong to Cerlina.
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"Indeed, have the scribes make the posters as soon as possible" Duncan said as he briefly make eye contact with Aurelia before quickly looking away "My reputation with the people of Nyhem is still somewhat low and we need them on our side" Duncan turned to face Isabel "In order to do this we will need to prepare food and drink for the celebration, as a gesture of good faith to the people of Nyhem. At the same time we need to do it with as little expense as possible. After all wars swallow gold like a pit in the ground, any idea's". Isabel simply smiled in confidence
"Indeed, the last thing we need is for the crown to owe more money to the Ironbarks. Instead I should be able to divert some of the funds from my my most recent shipment to pay for this endeavor. Inviting the Ironbarks would be a sound move as well, it would be a good opportunity for me to negotiate better terms of payment with them". Isabel finished as Duncan nodded in agreement.
"Agreed, Alex I am putting you in charge of inviting the guests" He said as he turned to Alex
"Yes your grace" He stammered, still nervous at the presence of Patrick.
"Now that has been sorted it is time he discussed a far more important matter" Patrick said, his voice immediately caught everyone's attention. "As you all know house Greensworth has abandoned Orog with their army for their own protection. There was simply no way we could have defended them against the full force of the Manshrew Alliance. However their was a additional order that many of you are unaware about" Patrick glared around the room to make sure everyone was listening "House Greensworth will be invading Ralda alongside House Anjervine, with their combined forced house Mazeltof will be unable to withstand the invasion".
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Aurelia remained silently as Duncan addressed everyone else. She mulled over several ideas on how to keep the costs low for having the coronation ceremony, of course without having to borrow more money from the Bank of Nyhem. She was about to speak up when Patrick brought news to her that made her lean forward in the seat of her chair. Greensworth, and Anjervine were combining forces to control Ralda, and by doing so, that would unseat the Mazeltof's, and quite possibly remove them from power, unless of course, they submitted and joined their side.
"Isabel, I wish to consult with you on the matters of the food for the coronation, but lets discuss that later." She said with a nod of her head, before turning her attention to Patrick to address the matters that concerned her the most.
"Do we have any idea if Mazeltof will submit to the invasion, and join the Imperial Concord? House Manshrew will not be happy to hear that we have abandoned Orog for the sake of invading another kingdom. If necessary, which may be the case for this matter, someone new will have to be placed in charge of Ralda, if Mazeltof does not submit to our initial invasion. Do you have any contenders for who will take the lead over them, or do you plan on imposing martial law?" Aurelia's black brows furrowed together in concern. Leaving the seat of power open in Ralda would give Manshrew an incentive to recapture the kingdom, and restore Mazeltof to their rightful seat of power, of course, if they did not join the Imperial Concord.
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"I think the chances of house Mazeltof submitting to the imperial concord are very slim indeed" Patrick said with a smile "Henry Mazeltof is a suborn man and he will not leave Ralda, let alone submit his lands to the Concord". Patrick continued to smile; Henry Mazeltof had often spoken poorly about the De Reimer family and now he had two choices, submit his lands to the family he hated, or be destroyed.
"I have already decided who will take control of Ralda" Duncan said "House Greensworth will become the new rulers in payment for having to leave their lands. As you are aware house Greensworth isn't particularly happy about having to abandon their homeland, this should pacify them until we can re-capture Orog". Once Duncan finished Cerlina handed him a letter that she had been concealing.
"What's this" Duncan said as he took the letter
"A letter from my mother, Catryn Tuania. She is requesting reinforcements for Telmarion..."
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As the meeting came to a close both Alex and Alice stood up almost simultaneously and headed out the door without pause, it was clear that they both desired to be elsewhere. Cerlina was the next to stand up
"Is their anything else you wish to discuss your grace" She said politely to Duncan
"Not for now" Duncan replied
"Very well your grace" As she stepped away from her seat she looked towards Isabel before adding "till next time Miss De Reimer" with a mocking smile on her face. Isabel threw her a venomous glace as Cerlina made her way out the room. After a brief pause Patrick stood up.
"I would like to speak to both of you before I leave for Cawanor" Patrick said as he rose from his seat. "I wish to bid you both a proper farewell, after all it may be a while before we see each other again" he finished as he made his way towards the door. Both Duncan and Isabel had remained sitting with the latter still studiously looking at her notes.
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While Alice and Alex both left the room with haste, clear to Aurelia that the presence of the other De Reimer siblings unnerved them, Aurelia remained behind. She had the impression, that Cerlina Tuania, despite the familial relations to Evelyn, she may just be more cordial, and courteous to Duncan. At least she had enough respect to address him properly when in his presence, and to maintain proper traditions, and for that Aurelia gave her proper credit. Patrick arose from his seat, gave his siblings a short farewell, and then exited the room. The only people that remained behind were Aurelia, Duncan, and his sister, Isabel. She continued to study the leafs of parchment before, examining them with scrutiny. She could only wonder at what Isabel found so intriguing in the mix of black inked letters.
Clearing her throat, Aurelia brought attention to herself by speaking up to address the matters she felt were a concern, "Ahem. Isabel, about the food for the gala after Duncan's coronation ceremony. I had an idea as how to keep costs down. Instead of spending an inexorable amount of finances, I think perhaps, that it would be best for us to prepare simple dishes, such as the ones that our citizens in the Field District consume on a nightly basis. Of course, we could add spices, and other ingredients to account for the loss of taste, but if it works according to plan, in the long run, we would save a considerable amount of money. I would even like to suggest choosing a prominent figure from the Field District to help oversee it. Not only would we keep expenses low, but it would help raise Duncan's reputation amongst the lower classes here. Which, if that were to prove true, instead of viewing him as his infamous nickname suggests, they would view him in a more congenial light." Here, Aurelia turned her green-gold eyes towards Duncan, and she offered him a small, pleasant smile. "Of course, if you agree with me that is. I also believe that it would be a striking idea for you to mirror, or mimic our late King John in attitude. The people loved him for his benign nature, and fairness, if you were to display such a personal visage, I believe our people would hold you in a more favorable light."
"And... There was another idea I had in mind. As you all know very well, we still owe a very large amount of coin to the Ironbark's. As I have studied magick for the majority of my life, there is something that I thought of that may hold the key to our success for decreasing our debt to them, and creating a supply worthy of demand that would stimulate our economy, even in time of war."
"Isabel, I believe you may agree with me on this when I ask, what do women favour most of all? That answer is simple. The common woman, from the lowliest of the low, to the high-born noblewoman, all desire to look fashionable, or at least to have a proper appearance. As such, lace is held in high esteem. The more lace a woman owns, the higher her place in society is viewed. The poorest woman is held above the woman with no lace to wear. However, during wartime, the prices of all goods rise astonishingly high. If you were both to allow me to run experimentations, I believe that I could either stimulate the growth of cotton plants through means of magick, or I could even have a select amount of mages here in Nyhem help me weave lace, as it does not require much energy to be spent. Our supply of lace is majorly imported from the other kingdoms, but if we were to supply our own, we would also be creating a source of income. I could even look into other areas that magick may be of aid to us. So my question to you both is... what say you?" With that, Aurelia folded her hands in her lap, and awaited for their response. It sounded ludicrous, but the past few nights, she had spent time studying how to lower the debt incurred by wartime affairs, and how to bring in a steady source of gold. Surely they would think her mad for trying to win a war from the supply of lace alone, but it was a start.
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Isabel raised her head to face Aurelia, this had been the first time Isabel truly acknowledged her, and she wasn't what she had expected. Although having said that Isabel didn't really know what to expect. After all the only Magister she had met before this was Alice Budwin. She chose to pause for a while before finally answering
"Certainly, I would think they will be satisfied with simply bread and water. I mean it's free food what more do they want"? Isabel said with a hint of disgust in her voice "As for appointing someone I will leave Duncan to decide that, however if we are appointing someone to oversee this I want to make sure they don't mess up my planning" she said as she looked at Duncan
"Don't worry" Duncan replied "they will be there only as a symbol of good faith, the gala's preparation will be completely under your control". Isabel did not like giving out responsibility to other people, let alone to someone she thought beneath her.
"Good" she replied "As for your idea of increasing money, you are right to assume that clothing would be good source of profit, particularly during war. The downside is that the only way I can see this adding money on a notable level would be by doing it on a massive scale. This would require vast amounts of magical energy and as a result, hundreds if not thousands of mages. Not to mention mages tend to demand massive amounts of money in exchange for their services. Of course you are the magical expert not me, what do you think" Isabel finished as she gave Aurelia a inquisiting look.
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Relieved that Isabel had finally recognized her, instead of treating her like dirt on her boot, Aurelia did well to hide a smile of satisfaction, she in turn, used the turning point of the conversation to agree with her. "Well, of course, we could simply do away with bread and water, but the idea is to have those of the lower classes to look at Duncan as a commoner's man, a man for the people, one that simply doesn't squander away their taxes like Heylot did; someone that is relate-able, someone that they will side with in the war to spread, as it stands now, we have the opportunity to present Manshrew as an outsider since Uzgob is so far away. We may even go so far as to dim down the appearance, or thoughts of castle life as being luxurious. So to speak, if the people see us starving, while they starve, they will know that we are just like them, and not above them." She replied, it was clear to her that Isabel did not favor those beneath her in any form. It mattered not to her whether someone was appointed or not to oversee the preparations for food, instead, Aurelia, from past experiences with Heylot, as well as John, witnessed how the people responded to the coronation of John after Heylot. He had done the same, and avoided extravagant luxuries, something his brother was notorious for.
"Yes, I believe you're right in those regards, seeing as how the population of Mages in Nyhem are relatively small in comparison to the population of them altogether. However, if I have permission, I believe that there may be another way to encourage the growth of cotton, asides from us mages waving our hands about demanding the plants to grow. If anything, there may be a way of magically enriching the soil, or even the manure used on the fields as fertilizer. I have already done a considerable amount of research, but I have yet had the time to actually test out my thesis. While it sounds ridiculous, I beg of you both, that if you will permit my research, I will have something ready in time for the coronation ceremony." This time, instead of focusing her attention on Isabel solely, she gazed steadily at Duncan. After all, he would be crowned King of Formaroth in two weeks time, regardless of the spread of yet, another war. And, it was his opinion that mattered most, not Isabel's even if she was his sister.
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Duncan turned to face Aurelia, it was clear she was directing the request more at him than his sister.
"It certainly sounds like a worthy endeavor. As you say Isabel, clothing is particularly valuable during times of war. I will give you permission to conduct this experiment, however if we are to fund this project for you, we will expect results" Duncan said firmly, as much as he wanted to help Aurelia with her experiments he had to make sure that he didn't waste money on gainless ventures. At mention of this Isabel's eyes lit up as she clearly remembered something important.
"While we are still discussing magical experiments, It occurred to me that our High Magister, Alice Budwin has recently succeeded in harnessing large amounts of magical energy into a physical form; a red gem to be precise. From what I hear it harness great power and would be very useful for your experiment. She is currently looking for a way for it to be used by practical means, if you are interested"?
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Relief flooded across her delicate face, her eyebrows relaxed, and her eyes softened at hearing his words, granting her the permission to pursue her research. She felt confident in her abilities that she could provide effective results before the coronation. However, this meant that the days ahead of her would consist once more of a lack of sleep as delving deeper into her studies would, and performing experiments, would consume almost every hour of her wakefulness. She had an idea to propose to Duncan, perhaps he would let her experiment in the castle garden, the one that was below her balcony? Holding off on the question only when Isabel provided a curious slew of words.
"You mean to say, that Alice Budwin of Cawanor, has found a means of placing magickal energy into a non-living being?" It sounded incredulous, but it was Aurelia's only hope of succeeding in her experiments. Here she nodded vigorously at Isabel's inquiry of her interest in the matter, "Yes, absolutely. I take it that she stills remains behind in Cawanor? If so, by all means, I would be more than happy to establish a series of correspondences with her concerning the matter."
Clapping her hands together in a manner to recall her original idea, Aurelia then turned to look at Duncan once more, there was no use in being cold, and unfriendly in the presence of his sister. Besides, if Isabel discovered anything of the matter, which she hoped that she didn't, about the words Duncan uttered, she felt that Isabel would be the person to never let either of them live it down, or perhaps a conflict would arise from it. Regardless, she brushed those thoughts aside, and stowed them away in the recesses of her mind.
"Ah! Before I forget. I don't suppose you would mind giving me leeway in the royal garden? It would keep my experiments hidden from the prying eyes of the public, until I have produced such evidence that my theory is sustainable, and also provide me with a large area of soil in which to work." Aurelia proposed, hoping that Duncan would relent, and give her permission. If not, she would have to stick to her potted ferns on her balcony.
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"You have my permission, after all the royal gardens are sadly not used for much else anymore" Duncan said "now I am afraid I must head off, their are many matters that require my attention and I must see to them as soon as possible" As Duncan stood from his chair he noticed that his sister was making no signs of moving from her seat.
"Do you plan to do your work here rather than return to your chambers sister"? He asked.
"I will return to my room once I am certain that the furniture has been replaced" Isabel said as she shuddered "I would rather sleep on this table than spend a night in the same bed that belonged to Edward Du Paraquette". Normally Duncan would roll his eyes at his sisters antics, however in this case he found himself agreeing with her.
"Understood" he replied grimly "till next time sister" Duncan then turned to face Aurelia before breifly adding "and to you as well" before finally leaving the room.
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Konan375
Fallenreaper