Aetherian(Part 1): A War Begins

Garrett

 Over the course of the next few hours, Commander Vestarr and Trevor had interviewed all members of the King's Council, the Dragon Guard, and dozens more they suspected had to do with the murder of Dedric Ingram. None of them did, and even the most suspected ones had little answers as to who might have. Lord Ingram had been poisoned, but none of the members of the King's Council had any knowledge of toxins that would be used to kill an old man. Lord Damien Busch studied poisons in the years before the Redwald Rebellion, but he honestly denied having anything to do with Lord Ingram's death. The matter of which poison was used was another thing to worry about. Illyria had said that Dedric Ingram looked like he fell asleep after drinking the wine, so it was a poison that brought a quick, painless death.

"You know, what we really need to do is examine Lord Ingram's body," Trevor suggested. "Find out what the poison that killed him was made from."

"I doubt the new Lord Ingram will allow us to exhume his father's body, Trevor," said Garrett. "To desecrate a corpse is considered an act of evil."

"It's not a desecration if it's to find out how he died," Trevor reminded. "I get it."

"Do you?" asked Garrett.

"Yes," Trevor assured. "You're married to an Ingram. I'm sure we can come to some understanding with the Lord of Riverford."

"I know Rose's brother," Garrett denied. "He's stubborn to a fault, and he's protective of his beliefs, especially the one that says you should leave a buried body alone."

"Right," Trevor admitted.

"I mean, can Illyria see what kind of poison was used when she looks into the past and sees it being used?" asked Garrett. "If that made sense."

"I'm not sure," said Trevor. "Probably not."

"Yeah, probably not," agreed Garrett. Suddenly, King Robar came through the door to the Council's chambers, followed by Karlon and the Dragon Guard. Garrett could sense a feeling of anger from Trevor in Robar's presence.

"I should return to Melody," he said, and left the chamber, patting Karlon on the shoulder on his way out.

"Is he alright, father?" Karlon asked.

"That's uncertain," said Garrett, then he looked to the King, asking "To what do I owe the pleasure, Your Grace?"

"This," Robar answered, handing him a piece of newspaper with the headline "Meridian Falls".

"What of it?" asked Garrett. "Meridian is a city in Alessia."

"Keep reading," said the King. Karlon stood behind his father, and they both read,

The Alessian city of Meridian, as well as many other cities that line the country's northern coast, were invaded in the night by a force of unknown contacts under a banner with the strange insignia of a golden dragon.

"Golden dragon?" asked Karlon. "But that's..."

"Valeria Karvine," said King Robar. "She's taken over half of Alessia, and she's coming for Aetherian, Garrett."

"It's not her I would worry about, Your Grace," Garrett advised.

"If you were the King who killed her father in combat, you would be worried," Robar corrected. "Lord Karlon, I need you to return to Snowfall, tell your western lords to double their defenses on the coasts."

"The west?" asked Karlon.

"If you go far enough east, you're going west, my lord," said Robar. "The only thing eastwards between Alessia and Aetherian is an ocean."