Sparks of the All-Forge - Preludes

Prelude 3- Haryn Mara- To Lie

"All hail the High King! Hail House Mara!" Jubilation filled the Great Hall of the Regalian Keep. Three days had passed since Alastor Alden's betrayal, and two since the lack of Alden forces had caused them to retreat from the battle outside the realm's capital. Lord Harley, Alastor's heir, had not seemed to mind that only his brother was to blame for how the whole situation played out. No matter what anyone said, whether it be an oath of no hostilities or promises of retaliation should he leave, he had left and with him went the entirety of their house's forces.

That betrayal among other things made it difficult for Haryn to enjoy his father's victory. House Alden had been staunch allies of every royal house to rule the Mithrocki provinces. For each and every legend who managed to usurp the throne, there was a legendary Alden beside them. Samaryn Mara had Absolom Alden. Theodore Reagan had Yusuf Alden when he had claimed the throne and Mariana Alden when he crushed a hearty rebellion. Even the leader of that rebellion, Bharnam Yhorn, had Temerius Alden as his most trusted adviser!

Alyn Mara had Elias Stormrite, though Haryn was unsure whether or not bastards counted. They likely did. Three hundred years down the road, some historian would likely name him Elias Alden and all would likely agree that it had always been his name. The Crown Prince could hear the bastard. They were both seated on the high dais, Haryn to the right of his father and Elias to the left. Rows upon rows of feasting tables lined the hall in front of them. Smells of hams, beaten potatoes, ale and wine permeated throughout the hall. Small orange orbs of Ether floated in the air above the tables so that they may light and heat the room. The work of his father's mages, they were truly a sight to behold.

Servants walked by with great haste. They carried trays of pies, small glazed cakes, and lemon squares. For the second time in his seventeen years, the Crown Prince had no appetite. When he looked at these servants, he saw those they had found when they had taken the castle the night prior. Corpses upon corpses had been bundled together, nearly every inch of the hall covered in death and debris. Someone had destroyed the hall's great doors and, in doing so, killed everyone in the throne room. The doors had been promptly replaced as preparations for the feast were underway. Strong alder wood doors with metal hinges stood tall in what had momentarily been an empty frame.

The fact that someone killed Regis and his servants bothered him as much if not more than the sheer number of dead they had found. It had to be a mage. Only magic could turn a door into a weapon like that. Could that murderer be here now? Was it one of their own, or was there someone outside of their faction who had wanted Regis dead? Would that person stop at Regis, or did they have disdain for anyone who sat on the Regalian Throne? There were so many possibilities to ponder, each accentuating his paranoia more than the last. Paranoia had been the death of many dynasties all over the world. Haryn couldn't give in when he had only been the Crown Prince for half a day. Maybe eating would be a fine distraction, or listening to the folks around him. Anything but thinking, really.

Haryn could hear the bastard boasting about how he had outmaneuvered the Great Phoenix. From what Haryn could gather, it sounded more so like a cowardly back stab than a great feat.

Elias was managing to make Alastor sound like beggar's change despite the fact that he had taken on six enemies at once and killed five. Don Poe. Leann Poe. Miles Declan. Logan Reagan. Haleigh Faelor. Four heirs to great houses and one of their siblings. There had been no sign of Don. He had likely been disintegrated by Alastor's lightning. Leann had been found with a scorched hole through her chest. Miles and Logan's necks had been burnt to crisps. Haleigh's head was found two hundred paces from her body. No matter how Haryn felt about the mockery of a great warrior, he was glad that Alastor was dead. There would not have been much that his father could have been able to do if the man lived to put Gwendolyn on the throne. Besides, he could respect greatness, but he did not have to like the man for it. Haryn had enjoyed Haleigh and Don. The others he had been indifferent toward, but they were his subjects and it angered him to see them taken from the world by the Would-Be-King.