'Our Father does not know where we are. We requested an early start in our travels, and left the Capital to come straight here. Some silly Church tradition will not dictate my objectives.'
'My sister and I have thought about and agreed on this. Upon our arrival in the Eastern Province, we will make it clear to House Dramaour that we have no intention of handing the succession over to them. The Eastern Province is not a suitable breeding ground for a King. It never was.'
'Logan Dramaour. Our Father speaks highly of him- of his magic. His wife's as well. Even so, they are foreigners from the Northlands and he knows they cannot be trusted. Nailah thinks that they might even be connected to something that happened in the Northlands many years ago. An atrocious genocide, silenced by those in power.'
'I intend to find out, but whether or not she is right changes very little. The Kingdom of Eusia will be mine. It will belong to House Yehia for all ages to come.'
Prince Heka's Thoughts As He Departs For the Eastern Province|
"If what you say is true, you must invite them in. I will receive them in the living room." Logan got to his feet, haste apparent in his movements.
"Omari," he called to the servant, "have them prepare light refreshments for the Prince and Princess, and quickly."
"Yes, Lord," Omari, the servant, rushed off toward the kitchens. Maximus was already on his way out to invite the guests inside, and Angelica was cleaning Gilgamesh's mouth, preparing to take him to the living room with them.
Once Logan left the dining room through the main doors and stepped into the hallway, he turned to another servant that was passing by. "Lara, once the refreshments come, ensure that none of the staff enter the living room until after our guests have left. We shall receive them alone."
Lara, the very same woman that had woken Gilgamesh that morning, nodded and followed them toward the living room. Some maids were already there, tidying it up and clearing the center table.
The floor was covered by a large blue carpet, and three couches were placed around a spacious white table. Directly opposite the entrance were the windows and the veranda, causing a lot of light to enter into the room. It gave the fanciful decorations a golden glow that brought the entire room to life.
Even the crystal chandelier that hung above them, unlit, took on a magical shimmer in the afternoon sun.
It was not long before the servants arrived with two trays of light snacks, and two pitchers. A large container filled with water was brought, and Omari stepped forward to cast a spell, turning it all to ice. With a simple blunt instrument, he broke the ice up and then placed a lid on it, leaving it on the table next to the pitchers. Four glasses were brought as well, and also placed near the pitchers.
Once this was completed, Lara ushered all the servants out with a stern look, shushing their protests. They all knew that the Royal Family's attitude toward House Dramaour was anything but friendly, especially where the Prince and Princess were concerned. Most of them wanted to 'brave the danger' alongside the Master and Mistress, but Lara told them that Logan forbade it.
Hearing this, they silenced themselves, then vanished to their own places in the mansion.
Maximus arrived soon after, standing near the doorway with an arm outstretched, directing the guests into the living room.
Gilgamesh yawned. He could sense the weight of the atmosphere ever since the news came. He did not exactly know why Logan and Angelica seemed apprehensive, but some things he were able to guess at.
Like why a king would place a powerful warlock such as Logan in the Eastern Province. He had heard many things from Angelica, one such thing being that the only threat the Wasteland had ever posed was the blight, which was dealt with many years ago. Since then, the Eastern Province has been nothing but a null zone. The Kingdom itself seemed to just barely acknowledge its existence, except for when the Cycle determined a king would have to be chosen from it.
Its people were all desperate to prove themselves and, by way of deeds, become Pharaoh for a time. However, no one native to the Eastern Province had ever been chosen for the position. Those chosen were all people that had recently moved to the East, having only lived there for a few years. It went without saying that those chosen could not compare, at least in deeds, to those that weren't chosen.
Gilgamesh, at the very least, knew that the East was not valued by the Kingdom of Eusia. So, for Logan to be given land and title in the East, meant that the Kingdom did not value him either.
Gilgamesh look on nonchalantly at the people that were about to step into the living room. He remembered the words he had spoken to Logan and Angelica.
Now that he was here, it did not matter who dared to try making things hard for them.
A blonde-haired young lady bounced into the room, her spritely demeanor overshadowed by the rigid plainness of her choice of clothing. She wore simple soft pants and a fitted top, both black, and had tiny, thick black rings in her ears. Her skin was darker than those present, though not as dark as Maximus', and she wore a very dark color on her lips, almost black. The color around her green eyes matched this, running over them in a thin line and leaving a tail at the end.
She flashed a small smile, one filled with poison in Gilgamesh's estimate. He immediately frowned and closed his eyes, sinking into Angelica's bosom to get comfortable.
"Princess Nailah," Logan and Angelica arose to greet her, and gave her a small bow. They remained standing for the young man that followed her into the room, also blonde and a lot taller than she was. He stood at almost the same height as Logan, who was slightly above average.
The Prince entered the room, eyeing them with an ice-cold gaze. Like his sister, his eyes were a bright green, but his did not share her liveliness. He held in his eyes a contemptuous look that left little room for anything but poorly disguised animosity, which made him appear to be upset at all times. His lips were pressed flat; there was very little expression on his face at all. His skin was a lot lighter than his sister's, though still of a tone that could be considered dark.
"Prince Heka," they gave a small bow yet again.
The Princess had already taken her seat, to the left of Logan and Angelica's, while Prince Heka sat on their right. The light filtered into the room, and they basked in its glow.
The Prince and Princess stared at the the small family of three, their eyes lingering on the baby in Angelica's arms. Just behind them, standing in the doorway, Maximus shifted in his stance. Quickly after this, he held the handles of the doors and pulled them shut, closing himself off.
Of course, he would remain close.
Gilgamesh opened his eyes to glance at them, then shut them again. This did not have anything to do with him yet. He wanted to hear what they had to say.
"Welcome, Your Highnesses. We trust you are both in good health."
Princess Nailah flashed another of her smiles, "Certainly. I've never been in a more perfect state of being."
Angelica smiled, though weakly, and Logan turned to Prince Heka.
"As you can see, we are both well." He made a gesture between him and his sister with his fingers, then continued before Logan could say anything more.
"I'm certain our arrival here has raised questions, so I shall answer them. As per the ancient tradition, Nailah and I were to begin our travels later this month. I asked Father's permission to leave the Capital earlier than usual so that I could come here without him knowing."
Logan and Angelica both straightened up. This meant that whatever the Prince came to say was a message straight from him. In other words, he was not serving the Kingdom but himself.
"I am here to make my proposal, and to receive the mark of your seal; whether you agree or disagree does not matter." Prince Heka put a hand out and withdrew a scroll from the thin air before him.
Gilgamesh had noticed odd fluctuations in the air- fluctuations he recognized as the odd sensations he felt whenever magic was being used near him. He had felt these fluctuations many times around both Angelica and Logan- even some of the house staff.
He saw the scroll appear and was so amazed that he almost gasped. No one noticed his eyes go wide for a split second, so he shut them and pondered the sight he had just seen.
Based on what he knew so far, that had to have been some form of Space Magic.
"What proposal is it that we are meant to agree with?" Angelica's eyes never left the scroll once it appeared, and Prince Heka wasted no time in unfurling it.
"Quite simple. Old laws and traditions have far too great a hold on us. They do not take into account the fact that not all men are created equal, and citizens of this kingdom should always be prioritized over refugee exiles. As such, House Dramaour will continue to follow the path of exiles."
Logan's eyes narrowed, a chilling hint of killing intent subtly rising in them. Angelica remained stout-faced in the face of this, though she was a bit rattled beneath the surface.
As for Gilgamesh, he was beginning to understand the situation fully.
"Loyalist parties within your fiefdom will migrate to a Province of their choosing, where they will serve Eusia under proper leadership. As for those loyal to House Dramaour, well, so be it. Following this proposal's reception of your seal, and after it is reviewed by Lord Pharaoh, there shall no longer be an 'Eastern Province.' The Abolition of the Cycle of Heirs shall soon follow."
Logan shook his head and scoffed, regarding Prince Heka with a smirk.
"Quite a bold plan, Prince Heka. Why bother dancing around the fact, then?"
Prince Heka cocked his head expectantly, wordlessly asking Logan to explain.
"You dress it up as some cultural reform, using the clash of ideologies between the Church and the people to justify your lust for power. I'm sure the histrionics you shall perform for your father, once you present this proposal to him, will be quite theatrical."
"Tch!" Prince Heka pressed the unfurled paper onto the table, disturbing his sister who was picking out a cookie that caught her eye.
Logan looked at the paper, not bothering to read it. He was not interested in whatever way Prince Heka masked his intentions through writing. He grasped at the air, much like Prince Heka had done earlier, and retrieved his seal, then reached into the air again to retrieve a stick of wax.
Gilgamesh looked curiously at this. He had never seen Logan do such things before. In fact, all he had seen Logan do was fire magic.
With his fingertip, Logan summoned a flame that he used to heat up the wax. Once enough of it had dripped onto the space provided, he took his seal and firmly pressed it into the wax. Once he removed it, the image of a multi-layered octagram could clearly be seen in it.
He passed the scroll to Prince Heka, and the latter immediately stood up after shutting it up. Princess Nailah, who had been enjoying the refreshments, hurried to dust her hands off and clean her mouth. She gulped a mouthful of the juice to help herself swallow what she had been chewing, then gave an energetic wave to them.
"Compliments to your kitchen staff. Hopefully they don't leave you once things change around here. Take care!"
Just like that, they left. Maximus opened the door for them once he sensed them approaching, and walked them back to their carriage.