Chapter 3: Mathian I
"What do you mean this is all you can spare, you bloody wretch? I didn't ask you to 'spare' us food out of the kindness of your heart, I told you to supply us with it."
These were the words of Eries, who was next in line for the throne of the west, and as far as his father Garret's health was concerned, he was like to be crowned sooner rather than later.
"I'm s-s-sorry m-m-m-my lord, this is all that could be yielded, the w-w-winter has p-p-proved relentless." The farmer replied afeared for his life.
Mocking him relentlessly, Eries replied. "W-w-well I'm s-s-sorry, I didn't realize I was running a charity c-c-case here."
"Actually, you're not running anything just now." A voice emerged from behind the Prince.
It was Mathian, Eries's brother.
A silent look of relief seem to have came upon the farmer, these days it seemed that Mathian was the only thing keeping Eries from lashing every farmer in the West.
"No one's running anything right now, the whole of the west is completely useless!" Eries shouted at Mathian.
"And going around beating the farm hands is going to help with that?" Mathian criticised him with a slight grin.
"It'll serve as a reminder to everyone else what happens to the unproductive ones." Eries remarked.
"If only our dear father could see you now." Mathian said, snapped at Eries.
"Father's dead." Eries said, cross armed with a scowl.
"Not yet he's not. And you'd best remember that the next time you go around beating those who feed our own bellies." Mathian snarled back with a cold stare.
"The king, our father, is on his deathbed, the country's more divided than ever, please do try to not strengthen that divide, however impossible that task may seem to you. I mean that, if you continue acting this way, you risk civil war, and I assure you, I'll not aid you in it."
Mathian resented his brother being the rightful heir to the throne, despite being the eldest, Eries never truly acted like it were the truth. Ever since they were children, Eries would intimidate other people into doing what he wanted rather then what they wanted, even if what he wanted was entirely impractical on it's own.
That's not changed a bit, where Mathian was tactful in regards to politics, his brother was arrogant and egotistical. Where Mathian felt sorrow over his father's condition, Eries saw political opportunities. While Mathian was warm and kingly, Eries was cold and sadistic. The differences seemed to never end between them, despite being related by blood, Mathian often felt they could never be further apart.
He'd already tried before to go and convince his father to not give the crown to Eries once he passed, but Garret would have none of it, breaking tradition is not something the west would take lightly.
Today, as he was entering his father's quarters, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong, or something was about to go wrong. Nonetheless, he marched into the quarters, finding Garret laying down with a smile on his face, Mathian never quite understood how one could muster up the happiness to smile in such a dark time, but nonetheless, he smiled.
"Eries's been threatening the farm hands now, father. How many times must I plead with you to end this nonsense, the West deserves a King that acts like one."
"Such as yourself? How many times do I have to argue with you on this?"
"Not me, no. But someone with the pro-"
"So you intend for a commoner to be elected?" Garret sarcastically interrupted Mathian.
"I'd sooner see a commoner rather then a tyrant rule over us. You know as well as I do that the North would manipulate Eries to do their bidding as soon as he sat on the throne."
"Perhaps. But tradition forbids it."
Garret was in the right sadly. Mathian knew it, as much as he loathed to think it, he knew that there was no way to win against Eries this time.
After a long pause, Garret continued.
"I'm sorry, Mathian. You know as well as anyone that I would love nothing more then to take this burden from Eries, gods know the country needs it, but my hands are tied."
"Is there truly nothing I can do?" Mathian asked desperately
"You could get me a drink." Garret dryly remarked.
Mathian cracked a smile, something that seemed rarer and rarer these days, he grabbed the red wine from the cellar and filled a glass for Garret, he did so love the sweet taste of it.
Once he returned with the glass, Garret, for the first in a long while, looked happy.
"Thank you, child." Garret said with a sincere smile while taking a slight sip from the glass.
Mathian suddenly had the urge to run, leave it all behind and never look back, be couldn't dare do that to father, he knew he had to be strong, not only for Father, but also for the sake of the West, for if he left, no doubt it would collapse, along with the East.
Before he could say any more on the subject, the door to the chambers was opened by a messenger in leather clothing.
"A letter, for your eyes only, Lord Roland." He said, looking at Garret.
"Give the letter to the boy." Garret said, his gaze turning to Mathian,
whether this was a sign of him trusting Mathian, or just him lacking the strength to open it, Mathian wasn't too sure of.
"As you will, my Lord." The messenger said, handing the letter over to Mathian.
Mathian opened up the letter and began to read aloud.
King Garret.
We, the Kings of the North, South and East, have been notified of your recent illness, and we send our deepest sympathies, regrettably we must consider the worst scenario, and must begin the ceremony for the crowning of Eries.
King Cortiet is on his way to commence the ceremony.
King Fayendrias llyond.
"Damned Northerner!" Mathian exclaimed. "It's clear as day that he's doing this for political gain."
It suddenly felt as if Mathian's world was crashing down on him, he knew this day would come, but so soon? It was clear that Fayendrias was pushing this, and for a damn good reason, he knew it was for a good reason, Fayendrias wasn't one to make an action without manipulation behind it.
Mathian's thought process was suddenly interrupted by Garret's coughing. This wasn't anything new, he was sick. Mathian went to grab a towel, only for his heart to skip 3 beats once he saw up close.
Garret was coughing up blood, and wasn't moving.
Or breathing.
Mathian screamed at the top of his lungs "Somebody! Get a doctor!"
Before Mathian could even blink, there were dozens of men, all with their armor branding the insignia of their kingdom, which was the image of a shield with a raven painted upon it, only the shield was seemingly dripping with blood, and the raven had blood red eyes that seemed to stare into the very fibre of your being.
After his voice had finally given out, a man stood out from the rest of the crowd, that is, the only one not brandishing intimidating looking armour, emerged from the crowd.
"I take it you're a doctor?" Mathian asked in between heartbreaking sobs. "Can you save him?"
"My name is Areon, Areon Himmelarch, as for saving him, admittedly, he's advanced in his years, I can do my best, but I can't promise anything."
Mathian accepted the truth of it and allowed the man to get to work, giving him whatever tools he needed when he asked for them, a scalpel, water and the like.
While the man worked away on Garret, the guards stared at him menacingly, Mathian hoped the doctor succeeded, not only for Garret's sake, but his as well.
When finally his work came to an end, the mysterious man stood up, hesitantly, fully aware of the crowd staring at him with murderous intent, it was clear he too hoped Garret survived, more than ever now.
As he stood up, a voice from the crowd emerged. "Do you know who that man is?! That's the King of the West! And the man beside him, that's Mathian, his heir!"
One of the guards pushed Areon aside as they checked the King's pulse.
"Dead." The guard said, glaring angrily at the doctor.
In that moment, it didn't feel like Mathian even realized it, he knew what happened, but it felt like it happened to someone else entirely, like he were just a bystander watching a disaster unfold before his very eyes, speechless.
Suddenly, a stone flew from the crowd and struck Areon, drawing blood. The guard drew his sword and threatened the crowd. "One more stone and I'll start finding some rope and some trees."
The crowd silenced instantly.
The guard who silenced the crowd was a large man, with dark hair and long dark beard, covered in scars across his nose, his right eye as well as his upper lip, that Mathian could only think to be from his sworn duty to the West.
"My prince." The guard greeted Mathian with an anxious, yet otherwise elegant bow.
Mathian exchanged a bow to him as well.
"What is it you would have me do?" The guard asked.
Before Mathian could respond, a voice called out from the crowd.
"You could start by removing this 'doctors' head from his body."
It was Eries.
Mathian knew that Fayendrias had some hand in this, he wasn't sure his motives, but he knew it, yet he wasn't about to accuse his brother in front of the crowd and all the guards, for it could mean he'd be the next to lose a head.
Mathian had trouble sleeping that night, despite all of his anger he felt at his father's death, he knew Areon was an innocent man, and he couldn't let an innocent man die.
He arose from his chambers, packing a knife with him, as well as food rations along with leather clothes, along with a hood, for he knew he could not return after what he was about to do.
He left his chambers, and promptly headed towards the dungeon in the darkest of the night, there was a guard stationed at the entrance.
"King Eries said you might come here." The guard said, flashing a grimace at Mathian.
"Did he now?" Mathian replied. "I suppose this couldn't change your mind?" He continued, all the while, throwing a pouch of coin at the guard, which he quickly caught.
"I suppose there are more pressing matters." The guard said with a grin.
"I knew we could come to an understanding."
As Mathian entered, the dungeon was empty, all except for one cell.
Areon's cell.
He approached him, given the black eye and bruises all along his face, it was clear the guards had already gotten to him.
Mathian looked into the cell, removing his hood.
"Are you here to rough me up now?" Areon asked rhetorically
"No, quite the contrary, I'm here to aid in your escape." Mathian said with a sincere smile.
And in that moment, Mathian saw in Areon's eyes what he himself hadn't felt nor witnessed in a long time.
Hope.
"Are you certain this is wise?" Ameon responded. "They'll surely hunt you down to the ends of the earth for this."
Mathian flashed a grin. "Believe me, Eries would hunt me down regardless."
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