Status: Trying to update weekly

Towered

The Beginning

High King Esho paced nervously in his study. In approximately an hour, five of the continent's lesser kings would be gathering in his palace, where he would have to inform them of something that they would not be happy about. The clock on the wall in front of him ticked off the minutes before he would have to face the truth.

He had not been so nervous in a very long time. Not since claiming the throne, a mere decade before. His grasp on his power was still tenuous, and he feared angering so many powerful men at once. This was why he had specifically, and carefully chosen every man who was to be in attendance.

They all had three important factors in common. They had all sworn loyalty to his crown, they were some of the most powerful allies the High King had acquired and had all helped him to claim his elevated throne. And, perhaps most importantly, they all had sons of an eligible, marriageable age.

Esho could feel the sweat beading on his brow, and tried hard to calm himself. Allies or not, it wouldn't do to allow these men to see such weakness.

His footsteps echoed on the marble floor as he continued his mindless pacing. His mind was a whirl of thoughts and emotions. He needed to speak with Minka. The king knew that he should have met with her long before he arranged to meet with the other kings. Her participation in this agreement would be crucial. Going to see her, however, was always a lengthy endeavor. In fact, he could not remember the last time he had gone to her.

"Surely it hasn't been that long..."he muttered under his breath as he continued to pace. "It doesn't matter. I'll visit her tomorrow." He often said that. Although this time he felt that it would be more difficult to stay away. She had a right to know.

Outside, the wind howled, rain pelted against the windows giving the entire room an eerie look. Esho shivered, and felt immensely thankful that he wasn't one of the ones traveling in this weather.

This storm wasn't terrible, they would certainly get worse before the season was over, but it was enough to make the prospect of traveling unpleasant. Lightning flashed across the sky, and for just a moment the lights around the room flickered out.

The High King sighed, fighting the urge to tear at his hair. It was already thinning faster than he would have liked. Instead he chose to throw himself into his desk chair and wait. There was little else he could do.

A timid knock sounded on his door. A short moment later, it creaked open just far enough for a woman to poke her head in. Her platinum hair was piled neatly at the top of her head, and glasses hung onto the bridge of her nose. "Your majesty?" she inquired. Despite speaking softly, her voice carried across the empty, silent room. "I know that it is a bit early,"she hesitated for just a moment, seeking to meet his eyes, "but many of the others have already arrived."

She said no more, instead she waited to hear his orders.

He tried to hide a sigh of annoyance.These men were as anxious to hear what he had to say as he was to say it. "Thank you, Talya. How many are we still waiting on?"

"Just one, your grace." She glanced down, presumably at the clipboard she was almost always carrying with her. She liked to jot down anything she felt might be important later, which was nearly everything the king had ever said in her presence. "King Rushu has not yet arrived."

He nodded absently. Rushu Had the farthest to travel, it was not surprising that he was the last to appear. His island was several hours from the Grand Palace, and so he would most likely arrive at the exact appointed time. "Have them meet in the third floor meeting hall. I shall be along shortly."

Talya curtsied low, and ducked back out of the room. For a moment there was scuffling outside his chamber, as she relayed his orders and several other members of the household staff jumped to obey. Within moments the fire in the meeting room would be stoked, and his guests would be drying themselves with its warmth, while helping themselves to his wine cellar.

Esho got up to follow before hesitating. "No," he thought to himself. "She has a right to know before I decide her fate for her." Instead, he grasped the phone sitting on his desk. With a sigh, he pulled the receiver to his ear, and dialed the only number he knew by heart.

It rang twice. "Hello?" a soft,feminine voice reached his ear. He tried to swallow down his guilt at the sound of her voice. He didn't have time for such frivolous emotions, not right now. Right now he needed to keep his wits about him. There was still so much left to do.

"Happy birthday, dear."

"Thank you, Daddy!" The unrestrained joy in her voice nearly broke him. How long had it been since he had spoken to his daughter? He couldn't remember, and now he was only calling her to give her news that he knew she would hate.Not for the first time he had completely decided her fate without even consulting her.

In the third floor meeting room, four very disgruntled royals were drying themselves by a roaring fire and arguing in hushed tones. King Mattex, ruler of the desert lands to the south, was leading the discussion. He was leaning against the wall, facing out into the room with a glass of red wine in his hand.The light from the fire caught the silver embroidery thread in the mask he wore and sparkled like a dozen tiny diamonds.

"I haven't a clue what he could want from us," he was saying in a stage whisper, clearly loud enough for the palace staff to hear and, should he be successful, convey his unrest to their lord. "Or why he chose such an abysmal night for it." Rainwater still dripped from his hair occasionally, as if to punctuate his words.

"Honestly," one of his companions,a portly man by the name of King Raynar, quipped back. "Is there anything so terribly important that we could not have had this discussion by phone? I don't know about you men, but leaving my home at this time is not an easy task." Raynar lived to the north,where, despite the fact that summer was still clinging to life, snow had already begun to gather. In a few short months, roads would be impassable and the man would be trapped in his kingdom until spring.

Mattex snorted his assent at the words. Although he was hidden from sight due to his position near the window, Fennis could not help but roll his eyes. They were an insubordinate group, the whole lot of them. If the High King called,you came running, period, no questions asked. The Long War had made the continent's nobility proud, independent. They didn't remember the days when the High King could have them all beheaded on a whim. Fennis did, though, and so he kept his mouth shut. Waiting patiently for the appearance of his liege.

"I don't know, gentlemen," the last king in the room spoke up. "If it was so important to call us all here on such short notice, do you not think that the subject is of a delicate matter?" Thunder rolled outside. Emaris waited until the noise died down before continuing. "There are still rebel bands to the east, and his control over the Borderlands is tenuous at best.Is strategy really something you believe should be discussed over the phone?" He chose his words carefully, wanting to get his point across without angering his companions. They were his equals and powerful men indeed.

The other men were silent for a moment. Fennis smirked despite himself. Maybe one of them actually did have a brain. He was surprised it had been the youngest of them to speak up, but it was better him than no one.

Emaris was seated at the table,picking indelicately at a plate of fruit that had been laid out before him. He was perfectly content, mostly because this was thefirst time that he had been included on such and exclusive meeting.He could not help but hope that this meant his relationship with Esho was improving. It never hurt to have a good relationship with one's superior.

Servants bustled around the men,always within sight but never interfering with the conversation at hand. They were mostly there to clear empty plates and prevent wineglasses from ever reaching empty. Mattex assumed they had another purpose as well: they were spies of the High King. Why else would Esho keep them waiting for so long? He wanted to hear how they reacted to being called out in the middle of a storm. That was a good half of the reason he was making such a big deal out of it. From under his mask, he watched as a pretty little red haired maid strolled by,bottle of wine in her hand. His eyes followed her out of the room.

Raynar yawned widely, running a hand through his silvery hair. "I'm getting too old for this," he declared to the room, as he slumped heavily into a chair beside Emaris. "I've half a mind to abdicate. Let the aftermath of this war be my son's problem. Everyone else be damned!" He pounded his fist against the table for emphasis, spilling a glass of wine in the process. Within an instant, the table was swarmed by servants with white towels, while the same pretty redhead appeared and refilled his goblet.

Emaris rolled his eyes. "If you were going to do that, you would have done it ages ago, old man. Your heir is what, thirty now?That is more than experienced enough to take the throne." Emaris himself was only in his mid forties. "You just like to complain.Stubborn man, you'll keep your throne til the day you die."

Mattex laughed openly, Raynar clutched at his sizable belly in mock outrage, though the faintest hint of a smile was creasing his brow.

"Gentlemen, please don't tell me any of you are planning on giving up your thrones! Who then will I have to outwit?" A new voice called from the doorway. "I mean honestly, your sons are all far too dull witted to be worth the effort. Are you trying to kill me with boredom?" King Rushu strolled into the room as if it belonged to him, water streaming from his coat onto the marble floors. His dark hair, was a sodden tangle down his back. "I do hope you haven't started without me!" He plucked the wine glass out of Mattex's hand and drained it in a single gulp.

"About damn time," Emaris muttered. "Perhaps now we can get this meeting to order? It was only the five of us who received an invitation, was it not?"

The others shrugged apathetically, but all began to move toward the table where the meeting would eventually be held.

"What took you so long?" Fennis grunted, gesturing toward Rushu.

The younger man gazed at him as he responded. "Do you have any idea what it's like to try to cross tot he mainland with weather like this? You're lucky I made it here in one piece!" He gestured dramatically. Fennis just snorted, his weathered face unperturbed, and returned his gaze to the window,where he could continue to watch the storm. He had no patience for such theatrics.

Rushu shrugged and turned to face the other men, the ones who were more likely to indulge him. "So," he began, skewering a grape with his fork, "have we any idea what this little conference is about?" He crushed the grape between his teeth, examining each of the rooms occupants in turn.

"We were just speculating that ourselves," Raynar responded, fidgeting with the wine glass in his hand. He didn't appear to have drank a single drop of this new glass quite yet. The liquid glittered under the light from the chandelier.

"Of course not. Why wouldn't Esho be cryptic?" Rushu laughed. The others were barely able to hide their cringing at this king's lack of formality. He had always been close to Esho, and had recently helped him to acquire the throne. He was always granted a leniency the others found themselves envying.

"I'm sure His Grace has every reason to keep matters quiet until we could gather," Fennis grunted. Emaris nodded his agreement.

"Indeed I do." Esho chose that moment to stroll into the room, looking every bit the imposing war commander that had earned him his throne. His hair was thinning and more gray than black, but it was mostly masked by a large golden crown that rested on his brow. The others, who wore no such ornamentation in his presence, all leaped to their feet, inclining their heads to him as he passed.

He gestured for them to take their seats, as he seated himself at the head of the table. "I do apologize for calling you here on such short notice, but I fear that this had to be dealt with now and in person." The tension in the room was palpable as everyone leaned in closer, an unconscious action to better hear the High King's words. "You see, today is a very important day. Today, my only daughter is sixteen."

The other nobility stared at him,dumbfounded.

"You mean to tell me," Rushu began, torn between amusement and anger, "that we all braved this damned storm for a girl's birthday party?"

Before he had even finished speaking, Raynar spoke up. "You have a daughter? I was under the impression that you had no children."

The others were also yelling their outrage. Esho waited silently, hands folded on top of the table, for silence. He had known they would be upset. He had been prepared for it. Accusations were hurled at him from all sides, as the men momentarily forgot that they were addressing a man that they had sworn to follow. He chose to ignore it, these were good men who had aright to be angry. Besides it wouldn't do to make so many allies into enemies in one night. After a few long moments of yelling, to which they received no response, the other kings slowly fell silent one by one.

"Are you all finished yelling?"They nodded their assent, though most of them looked unsure as to the truth of this statement. "Good, there's more." Despite their anger, this seemed to quell the other men for a moment, they leaned in towards the table subconsciously, wanting to hear what all he had to say. "As Raynar has mentioned, the existence of my daughter has not been made public knowledge. With the unrest of the war, her mother and I decided that it would be best to raise her outside of the palace, away from politics and potential threats. That being said, she is still my only child. I was not given a male heir before Delaya passed. I have only my daughter to pass my throne to. And she is now of marrying age."

Rushu whistled low, leaning back in his chair, its front legs floating a few inches above the floor. "Are you suggesting what I think you are?" He raised one eyebrow, the beginning of his smirk starting to form.

"A marriage contract." Fennis spoke up. "You called us here because you intend to marry your daughter off, and secure her claim to the throne."

The High King nodded solemnly. "As of today, she is sixteen. That is old enough to wed and to inherit. I called you men here because you all of eligible, unmarried sons,"he nodded towards Fennis, the oldest member of this odd council, "or grandsons."

"Aye, we do." Raynar responded almost immediately. "But why call all of us here? Unless you're got four more daughters stashed away somewhere, only one of us leaves here with blood ties to the High Nobility. Why not just summon the one that you've chosen? What need do the rest of us have to be here?"

Several of the other men nodded,grumbling among themselves. Under the anger, however, was an air of excitement. One of them was the father of the future high king. They all hoped it would be them, as the sized each other up from the corners of their eyes, picking out weaknesses in their opponents. That was good, Esho thought. A little healthy competition would be good for them.

"So, who will it be?" Rushu took another sip of wine, never breaking eye contact with the King. It was obvious the he felt the most entitled to such a privilege, having been the first in this room, on the continent, to swear fealty to the High King.

"That, I do not know," Esho sighed, suddenly looking much older than he was. War and politics had given him a good life, but it had not been easy to come by. He was learning now that conquering a throne, and keeping it were entirely different matters. "I have explained to my daughter her situation,to which she has graciously agreed to meet her suitors. From there,it is her decision."

For the first time all night, the room was completely silent. The only sounds came from the rain pelting the window at an alarming rate. Occasionally thunder rolled in the distance, but the storm was progressing and moving away from them.

"You mean to tell me," Emaris began, before pausing. "You mean, you expect us to ship our sons all the way out here, so that your daughter may choose one? That doesn't seem crazy to you?" He had never questioned Esho before. If anything, he had nearly idolized the older man. He had never had anything other than respect for the man who had ended the war.However, this scheme was insane. A sixteen year old girl was going to single handedly decide the fate of the entire continent.

Once more the High King sighed. "I have... I have done things for my daughter that, in hindsight, have not been for the best. I have robbed her of several chances at happiness. This is the only thing I truly can do for her. I have chosen the best candidates that I can for her, but I will not make her final decision. If you would like your son to be considered, have him here in one week's time to meet the princess."

He pushed his chair away from the table and stood. For just a moment, lightning flashed behind him. He towered over them all, lit from behind in an ominous white glow. He appeared, just for a second, as the imposing war lord he had been years ago. The man who had united the continent. The others bowed their heads respectfully, all final complaints dying unuttered on their lips.

"You are dismissed."