Sito made his way through the corridors toward the throne room, weaving through the occasional bowing servant and guard.
He stood before the towering doors for a moment and composed himself before nodding to the smirking guards.
The guards then pushed the doors open as the usher announced him in.
"His Royal highness Prince Sito Meridius, first of his name and heir to the Epirian throne!"
Sito proceeded through the vestibule and into the massive throne room, with his back straight and his chin held high.
He could see the King and Queen both sitting on their dazzling thrones with six of the Kingdom's most decorated royal guards by their side.
In front of them, he found a kneeling man, a noble he presumed. One of the many who come to have their pleas heard directly by their king.
Sito's footsteps echoed through the grand hall, reverberating off of the dark stone walls that lay under a beautiful colorful mosaic present high on the walls.
The mosaic looped around the entire throne room with its depictions shifting and moving as if alive. This made one feel as if a gargantuan snake, whose scales depicted the founding and history of the Epirian kingdom, was writhing, trying to squeeze the room still.
He came to a halt as all eyes turned his way, and bowed.
"Father. Mother."
The king and queen gave a calculating stare for a moment before the King spoke.
"Sito. Come sit," he said as he gestured to the empty seat on his right.
Sito made his way up the steps and sat next to his father with his back straight.
Xerxes stern eyes returned to the kneeling Noble. "Continue"
The Noble let out an audible gulp as he continued speaking.
"Yes, my Lord. They seem to be coming in the deep of night when all but the towns guard are asleep. The guardsmen at the gates have seen neither hide nor hair come through, therefore we presumed it to be done from someone within. However, we've had men patrolling the streets and farmland all hours of the night and yet the crops still seem to disappear without a trace."
Xerxes looked off to his left, where a scribe was noting everything said. The scribe nodded at the King once he finished and the King turned back to the Noble.
"Your tribulations have been heard. Once a verdict is made on how to solve this… issue, we will send word. You are dismissed."
The Noble bowed once more. "Thank you, your grace!" Then made his escape before his nerves got the best of him. He let out a heavy sigh once the doors closed, basking in being able to breathe without the oppressive gaze of the King upon him.
The guards laughed at this site as they very well knew how domineering the King's presence can be.
"Late again." Xerxes stated while still looking straight ahead.
Sito turned to his left, looking at the side of his father's face. A strong jaw and nose matched with high cheekbones and fiery red eyes, further complemented by a recently trimmed dark beard. An extremely handsome face, worn by decades of war and worry, set into a seemingly constant expression of stern calculation.
"Sorry father, I got caught up talking with Aunti Lia again." Sito said as he looked down.
This time it was the Queen that spoke as she raised a brow. "Oh? Do tell, what was the topic of this 'talk'?"
"Nothing too important, just about how today's training session went."
"Well, if it is nothing too important, then perhaps next time you will make sure to arrive on time." The Queen replied.
"Yes Mother. It won't happen again," Sito said.
The King interjected, "So, how did it go?"
"Excuse me?" Sito said, confused.
"Your training session this morning. It must've been quite interesting for you to have arrived so late, so tell me, I would like to hear how it went."
Sito recounted his day, telling his father the same tale he told Aaliyah, minus the same flair and passion, of course.
"To make the Machin boy resort to magic is quite the feat. Well done," said the king.
"Indeed, I've heard he's quite the warrior, much like his father. And it seems you are much like yours as well." The Queen added with a slight smirk of pride.
Their discussion was interrupted by the enhanced voice of the usher as he opened the main doors.
"Lord Geralt, Baron of the Epirian Kingdom."
The baron was short and stout, with a big belly and thick forearms that packed strength.
His thick brown beard covered his frown of concern as he hastily made his way toward the throne while trying to maintain his composure.
Once he arrived in front of the large ornate steps, he kneeled.
In a deep voice, he spoke, "Your Majesties. Your Highness."
The room was still for a moment before the king's deep voice broke the silence.
"Baron Geralt. You may speak."
"My liege, I've come bearing urgent news."
"Go on."
The baron gathered the courage to look up at the royal family as he spoke.
"We've discovered a mithril mine, my lord."
The king let his stoic mask slip as his eyes widened for an instant before regaining his composure.
"This is marvelous news, Baron Geralt, however I can't help but notice your mood is rather sour. Why is this so?"
The baron hesitated a moment before continuing.
"Well, my lord, it seems…" He chewed the words in his mouth for a moment. "It seems that there are two issues." He said as he held up two thick fingers.
"The first problem is that the mine seems to lead into a dungeon portal. And as I'm sure you're well aware, your majesty, this typically wouldn't be an issue, however this dungeon seems to be on the verge of collapse."
"I assume you've already stationed an occlude?" the king asked.
"It was the first thing we did, my lord."
Sito recalled from one of the many books he read growing up that dungeon portals existed all throughout the world, and on very rare unexplainable occasions, dungeon breaks would occur spewing monsters of all sorts into the land to wreak havoc. It was noticed early on that when living people were present inside of a collapsing dungeon its collapsing would cease only to continue if the people inside exited the portal or were killed. This resulted in having someone, later coined as an occlude, stand guard within the entrance of the collapsing portal to delay the collapse as much possible until either a proper squad was assembled to clear it, or the occlude was noticed by the beasts within at which point they would exit the dungeon.
An early theory for these collapses was that leaving a dungeon portal idle for too long would be the cause, however this was quickly debunked by instances of recently cleared dungeons collapsing through history, and also wouldn't account for the many undiscovered dungeons hidden throughout the vast realm staying intact. There was no consistent pattern that caused dungeon breaks, but being as rare as they were, it was still very manageable.
The Baron put a finger down, leaving his index finger standing as he continued.
"The second problem, my lord, is the location. The mine is to the north, located just below the border of Vradia."
At this, the king squinted and let out a quiet grumble.
"Below the border, you say? Then it should still lie within our lands. Rightfully it is ours to claim."
The Baron rested his hands on his knee and responded. "The main cause of concern, my lord, is that while the entrance does in fact lie on Epirian soil, the mine's size is quite extensive, reaching depths we've not yet been able to determine. And well…"
He used his thick fingers to stroke his beard as if searching for the right words within its shrubby depths.
"You see my lord, the mine leads into Vradian lands." He said quickly before looking down in fear of what he might see in the king's gaze.
The king closed his eyes and let out a long breath while he marinated in this revelation for a while before speaking.
"Baron Geralt, this matter requires for me to summon my council here shortly. You will be joining me, yes?"
The baron knew that although it was phrased as a question, it was most definitely a demand.
He bowed his head. "Of course, your majesty it would be an honor."
"Very well." The king replied.
He turned his head to the royal guard. "Hold off on any other visitors until further notice and summon the council. I care not what they may be doing. Tell them their attendance is expected immediately."
The guard bowed as he replied. "As you wish, my Crown." Before exiting the throne room with haste.
A standard custom among the Royal Knights of Epiria was to address the sitting king as "Crown" as a stark reminder that they are beholden to no man or woman and only serve the crown and those that find their head as its resting place.
The royal guards slammed their spears into the floor in a resounding boom as the king rose from his throne, followed by the queen and prince.
"Come Baron, let us make haste."
The group made their way through the halls of the castle stopping at a rather intimate room containing several stands, maps, shelves and such. The most prominent feature of the room, however, was the tear drop shaped table, but instead of coming to a complete point, the table flattened out into an elevated and ornate seat.
The king took this seat and ushered for the rest of the group to sit.
Once everyone was seated, the king spoke.
"Now Baron, would you mind entertaining a few of my inquiries until the others arrive?"
- - -
Reginald Stillwater, the king's trusted advisor, was the first to arrive. A rather bland looking man. Not too short nor too tall, not too heavy nor too thin, not too ugly nor too dashing. Brown hair and brown eyes on a face that could be the mascot of average.
However, behind his average face was a mind that was anything but. Reginald's mind was one of the king's greatest assets and one he held dearly.
Following closely was the master of the castle, Alfred Cagle. An old stern man that ran a tight ship from the kitchens to the courtyard and allowed for no mistakes within the castle.
Both men sat next to the King while Sito stayed standing as the others slowly trickled in.
Master of Agriculture, Maia Cicero. A tall, striking woman with long red hair that contrasted harmoniously with her bright green eyes and freckles.
Master of Diplomacy, Marcus Benedictus. A tall, lean, and devilishly handsome man with wavy silver hair to match with his silver tongue.
Master of the Gaurd, Leo Wilhelmus. A tall, broad-shouldered beast with a righteous heart. His strong features and long wavy brown hair gave the appearance of a lion, judging the deeds of your soul with stern hazel eyes.
Master of War, Duncan Elbrus. A slender man of average height with a golden head of hair. He had blue eyes that were hidden behind the squint of a smile that seemed to never leave his face.
By his side was his hulking Vice Master, Ragnar Strongarm. A towering red haired warrior with a thick beard and even thicker arms. He was the face of the military and whom many assume to be the Master of War, especially those outside the military. This misconception is simply a result of Ragnar's massive battle scared body and Duncan not being bothered enough to correct anyone.
Lastly, was the Master of Shadows who simply went by the name Night. With dark hair and dark eyes, he seemed to not even be in the room, for his presence is easily missed when not looking directly at him. He was mildly handsome and of average height but had sharp features and an even sharper mind. He is the king's eyes and ears of all that transpires in the shadows of Epiria.
The king's eyes scanned his council for a moment before speaking. "You may all sit."
Sito and Ragnar remained standing by the King and Duncan respectively as the rest of those gathered found their seats.