Bretver 7th YEAR 552 ASMERIAN CALENDAR.
He woke up from his slumber. It had been a while since he had slept so well, and as he got out of bed and stretched, he looked back at the woman in his bed. She was nude and joined by another woman without clothes as well in the chair next to his bed.
"You were as amazing in bed as my sister made you out to be m'lord. The woman said, her long blond hair blowing in the wind from the open balcony door. "It was the best fuck I've had in a long while." She walked over to the door and grabbed her undergarments from the floor.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, miss, oh my head." He said as he rubbed his scalp. The pain was starting to take effect as he walked around. He often suffered headaches but this was intense.
"Ha, I see the hangover is as bad as I thought it would be m'lord. You had so much ale that you nearly passed out while courting me. I don't suppose that you'd like to court me again?" She said as she caressed her tits.
"Oh no, I've had my fill, for the time being, my head would explode if I did." He laughed as he sat on the edge of the bed. The white sheets sparkled in the morning sunlight. They were made of the finest Asmerian Satin and woven by the greatest quilter. He laid back with his legs bent over the edge so that his feet were touching the ground.
"A shame m' lord, here I thought you'd taken a liking to me. I guess my sister is more your type, though."
"What? No, not at all, you're both lovely women." He sat back up straight and pulled her onto his lap. "But, all of the motion would send knives into my skull."
"I jest your grace. Now, I'd rather not have my sister wake up and see me in such a state, so I'll take my leave now m' lord. I still have to care for my husband." She got up and dressed in her gown from the night prior.
"Give him my regards, misses Daniels, he is a lucky man indeed. Your family will rule the northern territories for centuries to come."
"Yes, yes, he is your majesty." Zena laughed as she exited the room. He sat down in the chair next to his bed, still nude and with a headache that would make an orc want to be put out of its misery.
"Time to get ready for the day, huh?" He said as he looked at the clock standing tall along his wall. He made his way over to the wardrobe and gathered suitable attire for the day. He got dressed as the woman on his bed awakened. "M'lord?" She asked as she sat up and covered her breasts.
"Ah, you're finally awake, your clothes are on the chair there. Do you need anything?"
"Oh, not at all, my lord, I'm sorry for the trouble my sister, and I caused you!" The woman said softly, she was obviously embarrassed. He walked over and sat down next to her to ease her of her embarrassment.
"You caused me no trouble, Catherine. You and your sister have always been by my side when I was growing up. I owe you a lot and last night was my way of paying you back. Should you give birth to my heir, you'll have no choice but to marry me." He walked out onto the balcony and looked out over the capital. The port was incredibly busy, and ships swarmed in from every corner of the globe.
The western Isle ships were massive compared to that of the Asmerian ships. They had to withstand the harsh weather of the open ocean. Their black sails were intimidating to the other vessels. The only reason they were black was because of the linen that grows in the Western Isle. Still, the sailors of the Lucc Empire and Asmeria made their own stories of the great black sails, Rumors about them sealing away the spirits of sailors that mutinied against their captains.
The Asmerian ships were much smaller, only carrying assorted cargo and passengers along the coast of Alta. The Gregorian ships could easily be identified as the sails of the Gregorian ships were the flag of Gregoria. It had two green stripes, one across the top and one across the bottom with a white stripe across the center. Gregoria had the simplest flag out of all of the countries on Alta.
He loved the sight of the massive vessels floating in and out of the Bay of Asmeria. "Are you enjoying the view?" Catherine asked.
"Yes, of course, I am. What about you, Catherine? Do you enjoy it?"
"I enjoy anything you do, m'lord, you are the greatest view in the land, my lord, and anyone who argues that is blind."
"Don't be silly, Catherine, I'm just a middle-aged man with an amazing beard, other than that, I'm just like your brother-in-law. He's one hellova nobleman; he's been with me since the start."
"Of course, he has m'lord, he married Zena, and any man who would marry her would just have to be loyal to you." Catherine laughed as she put on her blouse and pants. "You know my lord; she's been going on and on about the castle they've been building and how close it is to being finished. Why don't you go there to visit sometime?"
"You know what, if I could get away from the damned capital, then I would love to see what Alex Daniels designed for the defense of our northern border. I hear that the last member of the Scottkey family helped to build it. I almost pity the Scottkey family. They were the clan that helped House Asmeria the most from the start. And now look at them, nothing more than your everyday criminal."
"I feel the same, I met with Connor Scottkey only once here in the capital, he was at this fair just outside the walls, and he was showboating his newest trade deal with the Luccian Empire," Catherine said as she leaned against the balcony railing. "But that wasn't the main attraction. Everyone was there to witness the elven girl with him from what I remember, I think she was his lover."
"Ah, I remember now, he had brokered a deal for Asmeria, and he was starting to make so much wealth that he had no idea what to do with it. So he came to the great hall and met with me. I was only but thirteen at the time. He was just a little older than I, and he was so brilliant, having a conversation with the man was like trying to sail one of those great ships in the middle of a desert, except he could actually get the damned thing to move."
"You were very fond of him, weren't you milord?" Catherine asked with a sorry tone; she embraced him with a tender hug and rubbed his back gently. "That must've made his betrayal that much worse."
"It did, if only he were here with me when it happened, or even his brother James. I must've looked like my grandfather or something. But I wish things could be different."
"You're the King; if you want them to be different, then just make it so."
"Then would I be any different than my Grandfather?" He was quite somber when he said that. The Tyrant King was a large stain on house Asmeria and one that the people still held against him. He felt the pressure every day and it was enough to drive any man to be overly cautious.
"Xavier, my king, you would never turn against your people. The moment Sir Wentworth informed you that the senate was plotting to destroy the country. You took action, you went to the senate and demanded they surrender themselves, and when they refused, you were within your right to execute them on the spot."
"Was it? Wentworth forced my hand in the matter after he had already arrested James Scottkey. With all of the men he used to take down James, even that alone was an impressive display. James killed so many good men. If I remember right it was a guardsman in Alex's employ that managed to subdue James. Of course, it was too late, he had already killed three dozen men by that time."
"Of course m' lord, you were in the right, and the Senate got what they deserved. Why are you questioning it after all these years? The people love you, and the Nobility is with you."
"I don't know; I just felt wrong for doing it so suddenly. I'm an Asmeria, and I should've gone to James Scottkey first. I owed the house of Scottkey at least that much. I guess it just bothers me that he was arrested before I could. Wentworth is one of my most trusted knights, but that was upsetting, to say the least. Still," The wind blew the white curtains into his face, and he quickly brushed them aside. "I would have rather arrested him myself."
They stood there on the balcony for only a few more minutes before the bells in his clock sounded off, signaling it was nine o'clock in the morning. "I need to be going, your brother-in-law requested my audience, and I won't keep him waiting."
"I find it funny how you speak so highly of him when you court his wife."
"Oh? Is it not a king's job to court all the fair maidens in his halls? Alex understands, and I've already spoken to him about it."
"What kind of man lets his wife sleep with another man?"
"One whose loyalty shall never be questioned," Xavier said as he returned to the room. "Trust me, I feel guilty about it as well, but as King, I have certain responsibilities that I must attend to, even if it's a nobleman's wife. Sir Wentworth has even offered his soon-to-be bride."
"I'm sorry, your grace, I meant no offense."
"You're fine, Catherine, the only woman I truly have eyes for is you." She pulled herself tightly into his side and rested her head against his shoulder as her face was flushed red with joy. "Now, I must be going; the house of lords wants to hold a vote to cut trade with Gregoria, so I have to attend to that."
"I understand your grace, when will you return?" She asked, sitting back down on the bed.
"Sometime late in the night, you may stay here for as long as you want, Catherine. Just stay out of trouble and don't disturb the guards." Xavier said as he opened the door. "Oh, and should I return here, I expect there to be no clothes on you when I return." She blushed as the door shut, and he started down the hallway.
The halls of the palace were painted white, with many murals painted on them with references back to the Kings of old. At the end of the hall was a mural with the image of King Zander riding a warhorse into combat, leading at least a thousand troops into the fray. At his side was Marcus Scottkey, the first general of the Asmerian Army.
It was the battle of Port Fressia in the Luccian Empire during the Asmerian-Luccian war. The Luccians were laid to a siege in the Port for five weeks under the command of Commander Quitt Leo. Commander Leo was one of the greatest tacticians ever born and had the respect of anyone who served under him or against him. He turned entire buildings into ships to escape the siege and route the Asmerian navy in the dead of night. When King Zander captured Commander Quitt Leo, he offered him a position in the Asmerian Army as a Section Commander, but Quitt Leo refused. He even tried to kill King Zander before he was executed. He was beheaded by a sword rather than an ax.
King Xavier always stopped to look at the mural when he passed it on his way to the great hall of Asmeria. It inspired him ever since he was a child. He continued down the corridor until he reached the great stairway. It led down to a massive ballroom. It was two hundred feet wide and four hundred feet long with an eight-foot-tall ceiling. At the end opposite the Great Stair was a massive opening for the entrance of the palace.
He walked down the stairwell and passed several people. Most were nobility, and others were just simple servants and commoners, making their way to the great hall. The huge wooden door leading to the Great Hall was a foot thick and seven meters tall. The beams of wood used to make the door had the image of King Alec Asmeria, who finished the Asmerian Castle in Year 89 of the Asmerian calendar.
Four guards opened the door, and as the door swung open, the hinges creaked, and the thunderous boom that echoed down the hall shocked everyone who was already inside the Great Hall. A bard started to pluck the strings of his guitar, and his apprentice played the lute. "All hail the King, the true ruler of Asmeria!" Announced a guardsman standing next to the throne. The commoners and nobility alike stood up and cheered, "Hail the King!"
Xavier sat down on the gold-plated throne and relaxed as he took up a calm posture. "The business of the day. Gregoria and the trade with Gregoria. All rise for Lord Daniels of the northern territory. Lord of Greendale and commander of Castle Asseria."
Lord Daniels, now with a full beard down to his neck and dressed in a fine black linen shirt with a golden pin on his left breast, stood before the KIng and bowed his head. "Your grace, thank you for the honor of speaking first on this matter."
"Please rise Lord Alex Daniels and say your peace on the matter of Gregoria."
"As you wish, your grace. As you all know, it has been four years since his majesty took back the throne, and since the betrayal of the Scottkey family. Gregoria is sheltering one of the traitorous Scottkey's and many other traitors to Asmeria." He started to speak with a loud rumbling in his voice. It was as if a goblin were trying to speak. "And as such, I don't believe it wise to keep our borders open to those who would harbor, no, shelter our most heinous enemies against us. That is all your Grace." He took one more bow and returned to his seat next to Zena, their newborn child was in Zena's lap, and a slave was next to her with her breasts out and ready to feed the child.
It wasn't uncommon for mothers to buy slaves to breastfeed their children. King Xavier watched as the slave girl took the infant and started to let it feed. "Duke Asmeria, my uncle, believes it best to keep trade open but raise the tax; I personally align with that idea and will represent him in his stead," Xavier said as he leaned forwards. "Why completely cut a source of income for the country and turn away goods we can use. As for the matter of the Scottkey that is stranded in exile in Gregoria. What crime could she have committed that would make us cut trade with Gregoria?"
"Treason!" A man shouted from the stands.
"Treason? There are far worse traitors in Gregoria compared to Alice Scottkey. Former Head Judges who escaped and knights who abandoned their post. Not to mention the senators who fled to Vern and the Lucc Empire. I am more in favor of cutting ties with the Luccians instead of the Gregorian's. Even the Varin's of Vern are bigger threats to us seeing as we have over a million Varin slaves in Asmeria."
"Then why not destroy the Varin stronghold of Vern at Lake Remo." Lord Daniels said. "It's close enough to Gregoria and the Lucc Empire to send a strong message that the King of Asmeria has returned. A message that I doubt they have yet to heed."
"And who among my lord's would lead the attack and take responsibility for the attack? Surely not you Lord Daniels. You may have been a member of Asmerian Generality but it's been years since you've commanded any troops."
"I will, your grace!" A man dressed in fine robes stood up, on his chest was the crest of the Order of Asmeria.
"Sir Wentworth?" A man said, confused. Sir Wentworth had been assigned to the northern territories for the last four years, everyone was in shock to see him.
"Sir, step forwards," Xavier said as he stood up. Sir Wentworth walked forwards to the base of the throne and knelt down before the King. "I hereby charge you with the annexation of Remo City and the duty of securing Lake Remo. All Varins who you capture should be brought back to the capital. I want to sell them all off in a grand auction. I might even make a purchase or two myself."
"Of course your grace. It will be done, may I ask which legions I may take under my command?"
"The seventh is already at the border and the first is closest to them. That should be forty thousand men and more than enough to take the city and secure the lake." Xavier said as he stood up. "Let this be a test of our armies and send a message to those who would harbor anyone against us."
"All hail King Xavier!" The audience cried, Sir Wentworth stood up and bowed his head to Xavier.
"It shall be done, my lord." The Throne Room erupted in applause and cheers for the now lord Wentworth.