Monthly Visits

Terrinath grunted as the machine he sat in bumped and rolled over the small hills and rocky gravel that formed the lower Bolskar turf. The trees that he caught glimpses of through the slits were covered with snow as expected, but they looked as healthy as many plants in their own home country could hope to be.

There was a total of six vehicles, three of the steam tanks and three modified ones: their main cannons were removed, instead getting a conning tower for the driver and enough space inside for eight soldiers with gear. The soldiers beside and around Terrinath were all part of the Praetorian Company, a select group where only the most elite and loyal troops were allowed to join. Ever since Alyn had taken the thrown with her now to be husband, the Praetorian Company finally had been able to do what their original job was, which was both protecting the Knight's Commander and the Royal Family.

"Sir," The man who spoke was heavily scarred from a fight with a Hand of Volus, and was a good deal older then Terrinath was, Derrin Crezzik. He was considered one of the "Old Guard", and even at sixty, was a man to be feared on the battlefield. However, even with his iron grey hair and his full beard, the man was able to look confused. "Just what exactly are we doing? It's been two months since we started these whole monthly trips, but why do we if the sword keeps them safe?"

"It is to be sure that they are continuing to be safe." Terrinath remarked, looking back towards the slits. "It also proves to any of the settlers here that the Royal family has ties to Congura and are not separate. Ignorance in who lives at the castle would be dangerous since the castle only in recent years has seen life again." Terrinath himself had been surprised utterly when reports of a sword swinging woman had come through Congura at one point, to which the Meigi had found quite strange in presence. The very fact that that had been their queen that marched into a battle by herself with nothing but a weapon had been the rumors of some people in the east; and that a decently sized Groglen horde had disappeared within a week. Their duty had been to protect the blade from the current heir-apparent, but with her entrance, Terrinath had seen hope.

The vehicles finally made it to the castle, it's winding roads stopping at a plateau just before the castle walls. One of them honked at the front doors. "The Praetorians ask for entrance, to which the sun may still pass." Called from the front driver as he slipped up the top lid and shouted up, awaiting the traditional response.

Even before they made it to the steps leading up to the doors of the Castle, they would have been paused by the ghostly entorage which had come to meet them. The ghostly army which was bound for eternity to the Castle grounds by an age-old Oath, and was a healthy blend of both olden guards, and new, flesh-and-blood, living guardsmen. A majority seemed to be Draconian or Conguran, though if one were to look around at the life which bustled in the guard-houses lining the parade walk leading up to the stairs, one would note that it seemed many different races comprised the guard force of the castle.

Though they were only stopped momentarily, as was for safety concern, they were soon led up to the stairway leading to the front doors of the castle. At which point, of course, they waited and honked.


Alyn was likely resting, at this point - Or, otherwise, Maero had heard about it first, from the ghostly castle attendants. With nagging advice and orders from Leu, who walked with Maero down the hall whilst explaining who the Praetorian was, the sword's form fret over Maero's kingly clothes and crown, making sure all were straight and tidy, in the crisp blue-and-white theme which the Royal family was known for. And finally, when they reached the main hall, Ghostly guardsmen sunk from the walls, donning royal armors as they lined the main hall from chair to door, some fifty feet in length - Which meant some fifty guardsmen present. It was mostly for show, though they were there, too, for defense.

Maero, with a slight groan of nervousness, sunk into the King's cushioned throne, sitting back, and straight, with a push to his shoulder from Leu. His tail twitched every so often in a cat-like manner as it hung over the arm of the chair, and Maero stared down at the closed doors while Leu took position between either thrones. As regal as ever, he gracefully lifted a hand in motion for the doors to open. Three ghostly attendants on either side, they heaved and pulled, slowly sliding the massive wooden doors open into the marble-decorated room. White marble tiles, white marble pillars.. Even a white marble cieling, with tapestry mosaic decoration of past Kings and Queens.

"And the Praetorians may enter, as to keep sentry until the darkness' passes over nigh." The response came as the gates themselves opened. The lead driver revved up his again once more to grind up and into the courtyard, minding to keep off the grass and on the pathway after the last incident with a phantasmal servant. They led themselves in to the now formalized stopping area, all six vehicles stopping in two rows of three beside the stables. "Praetorians, disembark!" The men moved out as the hatches opened up on the sides of the vehicles and the back; designed to give cover to those leaving the vehicle in their original purpose.

A total of thirty-six soldiers and tank crewmen stood at attention, their armour well kept and their clothing looking not primmed but regal. The Praetorian were not one of the ornate guardsmen companies that some of the other nobility had; these men and women had been tested in battle, and through proving their mettle were asked to join the ranks of the Praetorian guard.

"Soldiers," Terrinath spoke calmly, his expression unfazed by the phantom garrison about them. "You are the last of the company to make their first trip here, and with any doubts or suspicions, let them be known so I can address them before we enter. This castle as you can see is quite..prepared to deal with anything that would come it's way; we are here to see to the royals safety and to make sure any who seek to cause chaos or harm to the family never do." He stepped once to the left, then faced them again. "We have not had a king or queen for some time unlike her Majesty Alyn had taken his Majesty Maero as husband and ascended the throne. But soon we shall resume our original role as guardians of the royal household for when they are not within the safe walls of Nox to visit the world as well as the country they rule over. Now, is there anything, anything at all of dissidence?"

A man's arm came up, one of his eyes carried with it the ever-burning light of one scarred by elemental flame. "Sir, while tradition speaks of it; why does a Cooanei rule over our people and give us a mixed blood within the bloodline families? Such a thing has been unheard of for the family to have marriage outside the Conguran race." He paused, then grunted. "I be respecting Maero for his actions in defense of her Majesty, but are you sure, by no means offense, that Maero may have corrupted the Bloodline?"

Terrinath considered the man for a while, then frowned. "What her Majesty does is final, in both law and of who she chooses to wed. I'm sure in her young but well thought wisdom she means well; and if there truly was a threat to the line, the Guardian Leu would stop it." At least, I hope so, Terrinath thought.

The man seemed content with the answer. If anything, Leu was a revered being in Congura as well, and his word was law. "Well, if nothing else.." Terrinath shifted to the side of the platoon. "Let us begin. left turn, move!" With that they marched briskly upon the cobblestone, working their way into the royal halls. Truefully,the phantom guards here did disturb him, but he knew the spirits meant well as did their resolution to guard beyond the grave give him a sense of pride. He walked along the marble stone stately, then dropped to one knee in front of the throne, his men dropping behind him. "Your majesty, here is the last of the guards of the Praetorian Guard who seek your blessing upon this pilgrimage to your home, as well as through your eyes to pass the mark of guarding your divine being."

Watching as the men filed into the main hall, the phantasmal royal guardians lifted their bladed spears, which, like their shields, were very much real, and sharp. They stood at attention and bowed their heads to the incoming praetorian, and Maero's tail curled subtly around the arm of the throne in only increased nervousness. He'd been host to a few of these meetings without Alyn before, but none nearly this big or important. With a subtle glance to Leu, who stood proudly, regally, and with a smile to the praetorian guard, he looked back again and tried his best to imitate Leuesiatus' pose.

Eventually, when they came to a halt, and spoke, Maero stared down at them silently. An awkward silence ensued, only broken as Leu cleared his throat softly and motioned for Maero to speak.

Maero's nails lightly dug into his palms.

"Welcome, one and all." He started, speech slow as he recited formal tongue rather than the slang he was used to, "I am honored that you would make such a journey to see the Royal Family.." A brief glance up to Leu, no more than a flicker of his emerald eyes, "You do the Royal Family great honor by protecting us. You bring us great safety." A lie, he knew it, so far. He had no real clue what these people did, though Leu had explained it to him many times so far, and it secretly made him scowl in the back of his mind, though his expression remained blank, with a hint of subdued pride.


"As the King says, ladies, and gentlemen." Leu speaks openly, and with a warm, friendly tone. He descends the steps of the thrones until he's well within a ten-foot proximity before Terrinath, motioning for both him and his people to rise.

"Not only are you the guarding shield for the Royal Family, as you have been for ages - You are also versatile, smart, brave, and beyond loyal. No King or Queen which has ever ruled this world has ever asked for more. And it is why, at this time, the King and Queen wish to issue a matter to you. Something which they believe the Praetorian Guard is perfect to handle." Behind his rounded glasses, he gestures with wide arms to the group as he steps back up the steps to present himself about the hopefully risen crowd. He then looks to Maero. "The King will explain. Will you hear him?" He asks, looking back out over the crowd, then.

The crowd was silent as They rose as one in a wave from front to back. "Anything you wish us to do Lord Steward, or the Crown, and the Praetorians shall see to it." Terrinath spoke, and the expression of the people behind him reflected that statement. They had seen hell and back for their country, and were willing to go back again.

With a slow nod, Leu stepped back beside the throne again, and motioned for Maero to stand. He'd momentarily looked at Leu as if he were out of his mind, but a reprimanding narrowing of the eyes in his direction showed the sword was all too serious. With perhaps the slightest of scowls, Maero rose from his seat, ears folding back beneath the crown he wore, as his tail gave a soft flick to the side. He descended the steps, but only three of the fifteen there, clearing his throat to project his voice. He spoke in a more lax, calm way. It wasn't slang, but it wasn't terribly formal.


"Alyn lived on a different world before she arrived here, as you know. It's been that way for a few rulers past." He spoke, emerald eyes flickering across the crowd, "But when she arrived here, the portal bringing her here did not close quickly enough. Someone else came through with her."

Glancing up toward Leu, again, he was given a gentle motion to go ahead again.

"That person which came through behind her was her best friend - Alan. A-L-A-N." He was sure to spell it out so there was no confusion, "Alan is an extremely important person to the Queen. He took care of her long before she arrived here, in times of trouble. We did not know he'd come here through the portal after her until a group approached the castle with important news."

Maero's expression creased at this point, obviously upset at what he'd say next. His venomous tone following reinforcing his dislike of the situation and the person causing it.

"Amorvian has captured that person. We don't know where he is, or what's been done to or with the Queen's Alan. But knowing what a convoluted bastard Amorvian really is, we know he won't kill Alan as long as he has a use against the Queen." Amorvian was stopped, as Leu was now behind him, a hand on the shoulder of the seething King.

"As I'm sure you now understand the severity of the situation, what secret information Amorvian is able to pry from the boy which could prove harmful against her," Leu stated, to save the situation before Maero made himself look bad with those fluctuating emotions and anger, "the Royal Family needs your help in re-acquiring Alan. Though that will be done at a later date. For now, we must know where Alan is being kept. Though he is not related to the Royal Family, I will ask that you consider him apart of the Royal family as much as the King or Queen for as long as this mission lasts. He is no less important, as this situation will affect the Queen in many ways."

Moving his gaze down to Terrinath, Leu's voice lowered as he spoke not to the whole crowd, but only to him.

"I know the answer you'll give me, Commander. But it prides me every time I hear it from your own lips. Can your men do this, while retaining the fragile line we have between an unsteady peace and the brink of an all-out war?"

Terrinath's grizzled expression of ambition but collected wisdom dawned on his face as Leu spoke. "By my blade and my by mind, we shall see it done as you have directed. I shall see to it we work through the networks we have at our disposal to try and find this Alan." He gave the sword a chest salute, the platoon following suit. "For honour and the Throne, we shall!"

He turned to his men, calling for their orders to get ready to march once more, before turning back to Maero and Leu. "That said, if it would be possible to have a word with you two if you could perhaps." Bowing respectfully.

"Of course." Leu spoke quietly, taking his hand from Maero's shoulder to show Terinath up to the throne, where Maero retreated to, seating himself once more. He wanted out of this formal situation as soon as he could, but wasn't going to deny the man a chance to talk.

Once they were up by the thrones, where they could speak quietly in turn, Leu looked to Terinath despite how Maero looked to the far wall as if it were a hundred times more demanding of attention.


"What is it you would speak with the King and I about, Commander Terrinath?"

Terrinath's expression was guarded enough, though his eyes spoke one or two sentances to Leu as he walked up to the king. "One is of retrieving Alan if we do find his location. Is our opponent not one of the Royals, and wishing to keep this boy's life? My second is of the...present course for the house nobilities. You have been here for several months your majesty, I would advise a tour of the Empire; if you could at all. Otherwise, we shall work towards finding this boy."

"Amorvian Nalrance, yes.." Leu mentioned, finding their predicament a bit.. troubling, now that he mentioned it. Guardians of the Royal Family fighting against a Royal?

Though at this mention, a stifled snarl left Maero, and he stood abruptly. "That bastard is no more 'royal' than my grandmother is! You don't know what he's done to this family so far. He tried to kill my children as soon as they were born. I can't stand for that! It's unspeakable!" Maero hissed out, tail thrashing from side to side angrily at the situation at hand. Though Leu glared at him, he didn't calm - And so he simply let Maero make an angry fool of himself, since it was just the three, currently.


"Yes... Well." Leu cleared his throat, to hopefully clear some tension out of the air which Maero spewed out, and he looked back to Terrinath. "It's true. Amorvian has not only attacked Alyn and Maero, but he broke in through the Castle wall and attempted to personally kill the newborn heirs. Though we have yet to officially rule him out of his position as a royal.." Leu appeared to be deep in thought, sliding his glasses down a bit so he could pinch the bridge of his nose...

...

"..But the Grolgen aren't royals. And there's no official pact stating they're his ward and army, so it, by technicality, can't be called declaring war upon him should they be attacked!" Leu muttered quietly, eyes widening softly in realization. Blinking twice, he looks right back to Terrinath again, a scheming look crossing his expression. "As it is, the reporting party said 'Amorvian has him'. They never specified whether Amorvian captured the boy by his own hand, or if he sent his cronies to do it.. In which case, if you're investigating the Grolgen Horde, and 'should happen to find something on the boy pertaining to Amorvian', it's still within your rights, by law, Commander." He snaps his gloved fingers lightly, pointing past Terrinath.

"If Amorvian decides to get directly involved, you are to pull your men back, lest you break your vows - And I don't doubt that Lord Nalrance is underhanded enough to try and destroy the Praetorian if he learns what your task is. You will be tactful in carrying out this mission, will you not?" Leu pressed upon this fact, extending a gloved hand down to Terrinath, to shake his hand. The glove was real, not forged by magic, like his solid projection, so he wouldn't be harmed by shaking the hand.

In the meantime, Maero seems to have calmed down for the moment - But only just so. He paces about off to the side, eager for the situation to be done with.

"Your lordship; to be perfectly frank, the Praetorian vow is to the throne and the family that sits upon it." He gripped the man's hand. "We will pull back for tactical reasonings if Amorvian Nalrance takes the field. But! By laws rested within our own hands, anyone who strikes against the queen and king has indeed forfiet their life to the Praetorians for death. So, if per chance the opportunity demands it, we -will- take the shot on the outlaw. Otherwise, we shall avoid him." Terrinath's eyes hardened. "And as one of the few to know of your, particular specialty in shape;" He murmured. "I'm sure you do not wish his hands on you as we agree also." He nodded, stepping back and saluting.

"My thanks for company. Now, as we were, I shall deploy the Praetorians with the First and Fifth Divisions to scout the Upper Regions and the west. Other then that, I'll try to keep the political games down south to a minimal from the court." He bows respeftully and leaves, getting into one of the Zairran as it waited for him.

Proud as always during their visits, Leu is left with a smile, and a light dusting of his gloves together, despite a seething Maero beside him. But even Maero had been pacified at least somewhat, by the prospect of Amorvian's possible injury being apart of the equation, should these people find him. If they were as good as they claimed to be.. Maybe they were, judging by the amount of trust which Leu put into them.

With a motion and soft word from Leu, Maero rose from his throne, promptly stomping his way off to the garden to let off a bit of steam in the training grounds. Leu, no doubt, was off to Alyn's room, to alert her of the plan presently at hand.



In the meanwhile, back at the Zairran which Terrinath had crawled into, a red-haired woman, particularly small and mouse-like in body form, was settled nearer to the back, between two of her comrades. "--Sir?" She'd piped up as soon as he was settled in, "What are we to do first, in this mission?" Fiery yellow eyes remained settled on him, fingers twitching with anticipation.

"We will do a full debrief when we arrive back Sakero Harbour to meet with the rest of the company." Terrinath mentioned as the doors of the Zairran closed and they grinded off towards the docks. "However, it is for now we wait, and juggle with the ones of the court. Our secondary goal is stability in the provinces. If we fail in that, not only do we lose support of the people but we will also find ourselves in a dangerous stance." Terrinath frowned. " Otherwise we shall have to wait it out to see if any information is spoken of. We are warriors, not spies. That said....looks like I'll need to speak with 'her'."

He shivered. "Anyways," He knocked on the door to the driver's slot. "How much longer?" The driver called back a moment later.

"About an hour sir!"

"Well then, let's be brisk about our business, we have a boy to save!" The only response was a rev of the steam engine and a clear whistle into the air.