The Shadow Prince
PROLOGUE
PROLOGUE
A thousand thousand years ago a great land bridge connected the Mainlands to the Baccora peninsula. It was then that the southern Mainlanders began to travel northwards. Over the course of generations, small family tribes traveled and laid claim to various parcels of land on the vast and fertile peninsula.
From tribes grew towns, and towns grew into cities. There was peace in the land for generations, but as the number of people grew, so did the number of quarrels. Quarrels grew and grew until various tribes and independent cities waged war amongst themselves. It was a bloody time in history but far from the worst.
The histories recorded that the ground shook violently on one summer’s evening and the great land bridge plunged into the sea, forever severing Baccora from The Mainlands and forming The Break. Now, completely severed from the rest of the world, it was time for the people of Baccora to put down their petty grievances and unite.
A leader arose from amongst the people: Luke Garai. Once a small tribal chieftain, his natural leadership rallied the people and one by one independent tribes and villages knelt to his authority. In less than five years after The Great Quake, Luke Garai united almost all of the peoples of Baccora, save for one group.
The Voidari
The Voidari were Baccora’s true people. Their origins were unknown, but their roots in the land grew far deeper than any southern tribe or people, for anyone from the south could trace their lineage back to The Mainlands.
As families and tribes from The Mainlands traveled northward, they warred with The Voidari, battling them for land and water. The Southerners found the Voidari’s culture to be savage in nature and uncivilized. The two groups struggled for control and rights to the land, but it was no use. Eventually, the Voidari were pushed beyond the Forge River, and then they were pushed beyond the Sharpstone Mountains.
The newly proclaimed King Luke Garai wished to make peace with The Voidari, so he himself traveled northward toward an ancient Voidari Holdfast known as Duskcliff. All other tribes and peoples had knelt to his authority, all that remained were The Voidari. Upon his arrival to the foothills of the Sharpstone Mountains, King Luke Garai was presented to Jacen Harrell, the bastard son of a wealthy southern merchant and a Voidari woman.
It was with Jacen’s help that King Luke was able to negotiate an alliance between The Baccorians and The Voidari. The treaty promised peace between The Voidari and The Baccorians and gave The Sharpstone Mountains and the land beyond it, known as The Void, entirely to the Voidari. As a reward for acting as the mediator between the two parties, King Luke Garai declared Jacen Harrell Warden of The Void and Lord of Duskcliff.
For generations, peace reigned in the land. The cities of Baccora grew, the technology of the people advanced, and noble houses rose and fell. Through it all, The Garai Royal line remained true and strong.
Until discontent, selfishness, jealousy, and ambition began to brew amongst the Lords of Baccora. Some began to grow jealous of the Garai family and their power, and some began to feel that they could rule the Kingdom better.
For nearly a thousand years The Garai family ruled in peace, but it was King Aramis who was to be the last Garai King.
King Aramis was only nine years old when he became King, due to his age he relied heavily upon his advisors; primarily: Lord Slade Paldora, and later, Lord Orion Keys. For ten years the boy ruled with the help of his advisors, and it was peaceful. Yet, as with the kings that came before him, the question of marriage began to arise upon Aramis’s eighteenth birthday.
Ultimately, a marriage alliance was arranged between the King and one of the daughters of The Lord of The Southern Plains, Lord Qualan Tulso. This marriage alliance was one that the Lords of the land had been vying for, for generations. The region of The Southern Plains was the largest and richest region in the kingdom, and the Tulso family was one of the oldest in the realm. Their roots went back to the first crossing a thousand, thousand years before.
To unite the two families would have meant security and peace between all the Lords in the kingdom. However, the marriage was never to be. King Aramis never even met Lord Tulso’s daughter, and for years he refused to set a wedding date. He was insistent that since he was young and healthy, there was no need to rush. The reason he had put off the marriage for so long, however, was because he was already in love with another.
A lowly servant girl by the name of Petra Ami.
The girl was a servant, but that meant nothing to Aramis. He intended to make her his Queen and break the marriage alliance that had been formed for him. The Garai family had ruled over Baccora for a thousand years, and with that numerous laws had been written and rewritten to secure the royal line and ensure its longevity. One law was that the Royal Council had to approve any marriages of the monarch.
Aramis knew that his advisors wouldn’t break the marriage alliance with Lord Tulso’s daughter, but there was one law that Aramis knew the council had no authority over; that was the Moral Faith Laws. Marriage is one of the most sacred and holy unions in the land. Its bonds were binding and its reverence surpassed that of the Council’s opinions and Royal Union decrees. It was so revered that it was the whole reason why the Council needed to approve Royal marriages, because once a marriage took place, it rarely, save a few exceptions, could be undone. So Aramis concluded that if he and Petra married in secret, the Council would simply have to deal with it.
So in the tenth year of his rule, Aramis and Petra, under the cover of dark, snuck into the nearest Holy Hall and paid off a deaf and mute Faith Scholar to perform the ceremony. They were accompanied by Lord Orion Keys and Lord Slade Paldora, the only two Council members Aramis truly trusted to act as witnesses. Or so he thought…
Aramis and Petra decided to live in secret, deciding to come forward with their marriage until an heir was secured. Aramis and Petra’s marriage was one of true adoration and love. It was said by those that knew their secret that it seemed like their heart beat as one; and it was as if they were two souls intertwined, their very beings calling to one another. Had the public ever gotten to know their secret queen and the king who adored her, songs would have been written for generations about their enduring love.
A year and a half after their secret union, Petra gave birth to a little girl whom they named Elvi. Princess Elvi Garai. As perfect as Princess Elvi was, her only fault was that she was a girl, and as the law stood, only a male heir could inherit the throne. So the couple decided to wait longer until a boy was born to them.
For four years they waited, until finally, a Prince was born. Prince Eli
For years Aramis appeased his Council about his marrying Lord Tulso’s daughter by giving them one excuse after another. So they decided that as soon as Petra felt well enough after the birth, it was time to tell the council and all of Baccora that they not only had a queen, but a little prince and princess.
Yet through all of their happiness, Aramis and Petra were blind to the deception that was brewing right under their noses. Slade Paldora, Lord of Stonefort and the East Isle had become ripe with ambition. For years he had been buying out time, plotting and scheming to take power for himself. When he learned of Aramis’ affinity to the servant girl, he encouraged the affection; knowing full well that it could be used as a weakness.
What Lord Paldora didn’t count on was Aramis actually wanting to marry the girl and legitimize her as Queen. Paldora had hoped Petra would just be a fling or the King’s Mistress, he had hoped a few illegitimate children would be born that he could use as pawns in his grab for power. Petra becoming Queen posed a different set of issues. Mainly: war.
The Lord of The Southern Plains was not one to take a slight so easily, nor was he one to freely forgive. Aside from the Royal Army, The Army of The Southern Plains was the largest. The Lord of The Southern Plains was not someone you wanted to have as an enemy. He was a fierce man and a force to be reckoned with.
So Paldora began a new scheme. A scheme that when Aramis and Petra revealed their secret and their heirs, would position Paldora in a great seat of power with the Lords of Baccora. He fully intended to fan the flames of war. He sided with Lord Tulso, urging him to seek revenge and justice for the slight against his daughter, his family, and his region of the kingdom.
Not much is known about how the Royal Council reacted to the news, but what followed was known as The Cold Night. For it was that night after the Council had been informed of Petra and the children, that Paldora’s seeds of discontent sprouted. Many of the local nobles sought out Paldora and Tulso, meeting in secret that night, and it was that very night that Paldora and Tulso formed their own council and the plans to usurp the throne for themselves.
Lord of The Southern Isles, Orion Key had been present at the meeting, not out of disloyalty for his King and Queen, but rather, because of his loyalty. Lord Orion was the youngest Lord, save for the King himself, and the youngest member of the Council. Aramis and Orion were so close, they often called each other their brother.
Orion immediately reported back to Aramis that a coupe was being planned at that very moment and that they needed to get to safety. Aramis agreed that Petra and the children needed to get to flee the capitol, but as King, he needed to stay and rally his guard and the Royal Army. Petra did not desire to part from Aramis, but she had no choice. Reluctantly, she prepared to leave The Crown Hall.
Orion arranged for Petra and the children to be taken to his estate on the Southern Isles until the unrest had passed. It would be a journey of a fortnight, but it had to be done. After seeing that Petra was safely evacuated from The Crown Hall, Orion returned to Amaris’ side.
Lord Paldora, however, counted on Orion to inform the king of the plan. Paldora had spies everywhere who watched everything. As Petra left the Palace, he already knew where her destination was to be and sent riders to intercept her.
At The Crown Hall, many of the Lords who were in residence at The Capitol gathered in the throne room to dispute with the King about his secret marriage and his heirs. Leading the arguments was none other than Lord Tulso. The man raged and ranted about the deception and the broken alliance. It was said that the Lord was so enraged that as he screamed at The King, blood vessels popped over the bridge of his nose and up his forehead.
Through it all, King Aramis tried to keep composed and tried to keep the peace. It was to no avail, however.
As the arguments were taking place, the throne room doors swung open with a loud crash, and riders wearing the armor of guards of The Southern Plains entered the room. Their hair was plastered to their foreheads with sweat, mud, grass, and all sort of debris clung to their armor. Silence filled the room as the realization came that the guards were splattered with blood.
It was said that King Aramis immediately went pale as a sheet. He rose from this throne and took a few steps down towards the guards.
“Speak… from where are you coming from?” But the guards did not acknowledge the King, instead, they turned to Lord Tulso, and from a dirtied and soiled burlap bag, they presented the Lord with a bloodied velvet cloak.
Petra’s cloak.
Against the throne room wall, Paldora smirked. He had arranged for riders to intercept and kill Petra and the children under the guise that it was Lord Tulso who made the order. Paldora knew that the action would thrust the entire Kingdom into chaos.
A range of emotions washed over Aramis’ face. With rage and heartache, he drew his sword and cut down the guard where he stood before lunging at Lord Tulso. Lord Tulso was in utter shock. He did not recognize the guards that stood before him even though they wore his realm’s uniforms, and he most certainly did not give the order to harm the woman and the children.
The Royal Guard pulled the king away from causing any more harm; but as they dragged him away, he made one last declaration:
“This is war Tulso! You and your family will pay!”
Chaos erupted in the throne room at that very moment, lord turned against lord, and guard against guard. Aramis was rushed from the throne room and down the main corridor of The Crown Hall. Seeing the chaos at hand, Orion swiftly made his way out of the throne room to defend what was left of the royal family.
Still inside the throne room, Tulso made his way over to Paldora in a rage.
“You did this! You made the order!” Tulso said, shoving the bloodied cloak at Paldora
“A necessary evil to bring about necessary change,” Paldora smirked, allowing the cloak to fall at his feet. It was then that Tulso began to realize all the deception and the lies of Paldora. Paldora had known about Petra and the children, yet continued to foster the idea that a marriage alliance would take place between the king and The Southern Plains. Tulso began to realize that he had been deceived and used as a tool in his grab at power.
Just as Tulso was beginning to see the whole picture, Paldora plunged a knife into Tulso’s chest. All in the throne room were too busy fighting amongst themselves to notice what was taking place between the two lords. Using his guards dressed in Southern Plains, Paldora was ushered from the throne room.
Safe inside a carriage making its way out of The Capitol, Aramis broke down in tears. His family. His family was dead… or so he thought.
As Orion had begun to make arrangements to transport Petra and the children, she had a change of heart. She convinced Orion to send her as a decoy and to conceal the children within The Capitol. Orion promised to ensure the children’s safety and sent her on her way.
When the fighting broke out in the throne room and with the king swiftly removed, Orion made his way down to the catacombs of The Crown Hall. It was there that he had concealed the children with the help of their nanny.
Chaos had broken out now, not only within The Crown Hall but within the city itself as word spread of the coupe and now the death of Lord Tulso. Orion’s only hope was that Aramis got out of the city and was making his way to The Southern Isles for safety. Orion fled on horseback with the children, in his arms he carried Princess Elvi, and on his back, he wore the infant Prince Eli.
With chaos reigning everywhere now, the city guard, under the order of Paldora, began to close the city gates to prevent people from fleeing. Orion had no time to spare. As he approached the east city gate, he saw a carriage that he recognized. The King’s carriage.
From the shadows, he looked on in horror as agents of Paldora dragged Aramis from the carriage and had him killed in the street.
His friend and brother was dead. Orion had no time to mourn, he needed to think quickly and get the children to safety. Dismounting his horse, he went on foot. Scaling the city wall while carrying the Prince and Princess. By noon the following day, he had made it the several miles to the rendezvous point he had originally arranged with his trusted men to take the Royal family to safety.
It was by then that Paldora had been informed that the children still lived. Fearing and knowing that their survival meant that his claim to power would be disputed, Paldora put out the order to find them by any means necessary. The kingdom broke into factions. Some rose against Paldora and his grab at power, and some bolstered Paldora and hailed them as their new leader.
Along the borders of The Southern Plains, however, Orion found himself to be in dangerous territory. Word had gotten back to Lady Tulso about the broken marriage alliance and her husband’s death. The Lady vowed vengeance for her husband and revenge against the now-deceased king. The children were in grave danger. For if they were caught in The Southern Plains, it was very likely that Lady Tulso would have the innocent children killed to satisfy her need for revenge.
Loyal to Lord Orion, were Cade Westerling and Lord Otto Oranta. Westerling was a legendary young sell sword from The Mainlands, he was nearly six foot seven inches tall, with shoulders as wide as a doorframe, and fists as hard as steel. Despite his fearsome fighting abilities and menacing appearance, the man was a gentle giant toward his friends. Lord Otto Oranta was a lord and wealthy merchant also from The Mainlands, he hired Westerling as a personal guard and had interests in business and politics with Baccora. Although not a skilled fighter Lord Otto was witty and incredibly intelligent.
It was agreed upon that the children should be separated.
Princess Elvi would travel to The Mainlands and be raised by Lord Otto and guarded by Westerling, and Prince Eli would continue with Orion to The Southern Isles. It was not an easy decision to make, but it had to be done. Orion departed from his companions after acquiring a new horse and carried the infant himself through the dangerous countryside of The Southern Plains to make it to the southeastern most coast of Baccora, and eventually to his realm of The Southern Isles.
After weeks of uncertainty, word reached Orion and Otto that the two parties had made it to safety. While all was quiet and safe in The Mainlands and on The Southern Isles, it was not to be the case in Baccora. The whole kingdom had fallen into war as Paldora proclaimed himself as Lord Chancellor. Something greater than a King.
He began to rule with an unkind iron fist. Forcing citizens into slavery, cruelly executing those who spoke out against him, and tearing the land apart. He ruled with pure terror and fear.
Under the threat of death, a rebellion began to stir. Lords loyal to the Garai family sought to overthrow Paldora. Few knew about the survival of Princess Elvi and Prince Eli, but those who did worked tirelessly to fund the rebellion in hopes that one day one of the children would sit on the throne.
For nearly twenty years, the rebels fought back against Paldora and his evil forces. Across The Break in The Mainlands, Lord Otto had raised Princess Elvi to be a noble and true leader. At the time of her father’s assassination, she was old enough to have some memories of the events, and she longed to see her homeland and her people experience peace again.
On The Southern Isles, things were a slightly different story. Lord Orion, although loyal to the cause to see Paldora deposed, sunk into grief over the loss of his dear friend, Aramis, and shielded Prince Eli from the world, raising him in the ways of a Faith Scholar. It was only on Prince Eli’s sixteenth birthday that the boy was told of his true parentage and his claim to the throne. By then, however, the boy was determined to live out his days as a Scholar and live a life of poverty and chastity.
When Prince Eli was reunited with his sister at the age of eighteen, he publicly relinquished all claims to the throne and took final vows as a Faith Scholar, and vowed to serve his sister as an advisor once she became Queen. As word spread of the Prince and Princess’s survival, the people of Baccora started to rebel even more against Paldora. It was at this time that the fighting was the bloodiest and fiercest.
Through the bloodshed and chaos of war, however, happiness was found. Princess Elvi met, fell in love, and married a man named Captain Fabian Sauza. Fabian was a Captain in the Rebel Navy, and he commanded the fierce gunner ship known as The Wavecrest. Within a year of their marriage, Princess Elvi gave birth to a little boy, Prince Kian Garai.
The rebels were pushing back against Paldora and his forces. Paldora, knowing that he was losing power, doubled down harder with his assault both on the people of Baccora and the rebel forces. His methods were heinous, even to the point that his own family began to turn against him.
Paldora’s youngest son revolted against him and fled Baccora with his young family, taking with him Paldora’s only heir to his throne, his granddaughter Rieka. With allies turning against him, Paldora did the unthinkable. With what information he had about Princess Elvi’s whereabouts, he sent out an elite strike force with one goal in mind.
Capture Prince Kian alive.
Paldora’s men crossed The Break and found their way into Princess Elvi’s rebel camp. They took the camp by surprise and slaughtered all who stood in their way. Prince Kian was successfully captured, and the young ten-year-old boy was brought to Paldora.
As part of Paldora’s sick and twisted plan, he began to raise the boy as his own. Simply having the boy in his possession forced the rebels to cease their onslaught against Paldora. Paldora began working on twisting the boy’s mind and molding it so that the boy would become his own agent of evil.
Devastated over the kidnapping of her son, Princess Elvi pulled back her forces against Paldora out of fear that Paldora would kill the boy. For years, little was known about Kian’s welfare. Yet, Princess Elvi did not stop the fight entirely. In secret, she worked to try and find a way to bring about Paldora’s downfall, all while trying to ensure that her son would not be killed.
It was then that she met Silas Paldora, the youngest son of her enemy. The son who revolted against his own father. Silas had been living secretly on The Western Isles with his daughter Rieka.
Both Silas and Elvi began working together to figure out a way to overthrow Paldora. During this time, Paldora caught wind of the new alliance and sent out a new attack. He sent forces to raid the Southern Isles and The Western Isles, taking aim at Prince Eli and young Rieka. This attack divided the rebel forces and scattered them.
During the attack, Silas was killed and it was a huge blow to the cause. With Rieka now an orphan, Elvi took her under her wing and began to treat the girl like a daughter and prepare her to be the next leader of the rebel cause. Yet, Elvi never held out hope that her own son would be returned to her.
By this time the war had gone on for over forty years and Paldora wasn’t getting any younger. Paldora’s only heirs had either been killed during the war or turned against him. With no potential biological heirs, Paldora turned to the only two young men in the Baccora whom he trusted. The general of his army, General Hess, and Prince Kian.
Paldora began to foster a competitive spirit between the two young men. His goal, it was said, was for the two men to fight each other to the point of one of their demises. Whoever made it out alive would be his heir.
In the ten years that Kian spent as Paldora’s captive, Paldora had successfully groomed and weaponized the boy. He installed him as the leader of an elite group of Knights known as Shadow Knights. The Shadow Knights were agents of Paldora, commissioned to follow through with some of Paldora’s most heinous atrocities. Paldora stripped and beat out of Kian everything that he once was and his identity as a Garai Prince. Kian became nothing more than a shell. An agent of all the evil things Paldora desired to do.
News of all the evil that The Shadow Knights committed swiftly spread, and Princess Elvi truly began to believe that her son was lost forever. Rieka, on the other hand, refused to believe such a thing. Although she had never met the prince, she truly believed that there could still be good in him.
Against Princess Elvi’s wishes, Rieka made a last-ditch effort to reach out to Kian. Managing to sneak into the Shadow Knight’s camp, which was located on Stonefort Island, Paldora’s family holdfast for generations, she made contact with the Prince. It is unknown what was said, but Kian and the rest of The Shadow Knights allowed Rieka and her companions to leave Stonefort unharmed.
It is unclear exactly how things transpired in the weeks that followed that meeting between the Captured Prince and the Usurper’s Granddaughter, but Paldora’s once-trusted allies quickly turned against him. Both rebel forces and Paldora’s own forces rallied at Stonefort, surrounding the island and its holdfast.
A great battle ensued both by land and by sea. The Wavecrest led the rebel navy, captained by Fabian Sauza and Princess Elvi, and on board the vessel was Rieka and Westerling, who had now sworn his sword to the young woman. By sea, ships clashed and the cannon fire was deafening. Soon the waters became littered with debris, smoldering wreckage, and visibility was hazed with smoke.
From Stonefort, the great fortress fired off round after round of heavy cannon fire. Its cannons were some of the most technologically advanced and were able to fire great distances. One of the fortress's mega-cannons locked onto The Wavecrest and began its bombardment of the vessel. The ship took on too much damage and Captain Sauza ordered his crew to abandon ship.
Princess Elvi begged her husband to evacuate with her, but the stubborn man refused. Kissing his beloved wife one last time, he maintained the ship’s helm while his crew evacuated. Westerling, Rieka, and the rest of The Wavecrest crew helped Princess Elvi to the shores of Stonefort and defended her through the onslaught of Paldora’s forces, but it came at a cost.
Cannon fire bombarded the beach and splintered wood rained down, a large shard piercing Princess Elvi through the shoulder. The princess was too wounded to continue onwards toward the fortress. Through the smoke, flames, and shadows, however, a knight appeared. Those loyal to the Princess fully intended to defend her until their dying breath, but this knight put down his sword and took off his helmet.
It was Prince Kian.
For the first time in fifteen years, the mother and son got to look each other in the face. The crowd of people loyal to the Princess parted and allowed Rain to kneel down beside his dying mother. Looking out to sea, Kian also saw The Wavecrest sinking beneath the waters. A few words were whispered between the mother and son, but no one could hear exactly what was said.
It was then that Princess Elvi took her final breaths.
Kian reached for his sword and began his one-man march toward the fortress.
“Stay! Fight with us!” Rieka begged Kian.
“My battle is elsewhere.” He said before disappearing into the smoke.
Hidden deep inside the fortress. Paldora could see that his forces were dwindling and he was running out of time. He called his military advisors to his side and put in action his last stand.
Total destruction of Stonefort.
Buried deep within the fortress was an arsenal of deadly explosives. Paldora intended to decimate Stonefort and destroy everyone with it.
Not much is known as to what happened next. The only witnesses to the events either died in the destruction or are presumed dead. A series of explosions started to go off, shaking the ground and causing parts of the great fortress to plunge into the sea. It is unknown just how many died from the explosions, but when the smoke cleared, the rebels were the last ones standing.
For days the rubble was searched and bodies were recovered. In the innermost chamber of Stonefort, the bodies of Paldora, his personal guard, his advisors, and six of the seven Shadow Knights were discovered. They had not been killed by any of the blasts however, no, they had been killed by the sword.
Rieka personally oversaw the search for one body in particular… Prince Kian; but for reasons unknown, no sign of him was ever discovered.
It was like he vanished into thin air.
A thousand thousand years ago a great land bridge connected the Mainlands to the Baccora peninsula. It was then that the southern Mainlanders began to travel northwards. Over the course of generations, small family tribes traveled and laid claim to various parcels of land on the vast and fertile peninsula.
From tribes grew towns, and towns grew into cities. There was peace in the land for generations, but as the number of people grew, so did the number of quarrels. Quarrels grew and grew until various tribes and independent cities waged war amongst themselves. It was a bloody time in history but far from the worst.
The histories recorded that the ground shook violently on one summer’s evening and the great land bridge plunged into the sea, forever severing Baccora from The Mainlands and forming The Break. Now, completely severed from the rest of the world, it was time for the people of Baccora to put down their petty grievances and unite.
A leader arose from amongst the people: Luke Garai. Once a small tribal chieftain, his natural leadership rallied the people and one by one independent tribes and villages knelt to his authority. In less than five years after The Great Quake, Luke Garai united almost all of the peoples of Baccora, save for one group.
The Voidari
The Voidari were Baccora’s true people. Their origins were unknown, but their roots in the land grew far deeper than any southern tribe or people, for anyone from the south could trace their lineage back to The Mainlands.
As families and tribes from The Mainlands traveled northward, they warred with The Voidari, battling them for land and water. The Southerners found the Voidari’s culture to be savage in nature and uncivilized. The two groups struggled for control and rights to the land, but it was no use. Eventually, the Voidari were pushed beyond the Forge River, and then they were pushed beyond the Sharpstone Mountains.
The newly proclaimed King Luke Garai wished to make peace with The Voidari, so he himself traveled northward toward an ancient Voidari Holdfast known as Duskcliff. All other tribes and peoples had knelt to his authority, all that remained were The Voidari. Upon his arrival to the foothills of the Sharpstone Mountains, King Luke Garai was presented to Jacen Harrell, the bastard son of a wealthy southern merchant and a Voidari woman.
It was with Jacen’s help that King Luke was able to negotiate an alliance between The Baccorians and The Voidari. The treaty promised peace between The Voidari and The Baccorians and gave The Sharpstone Mountains and the land beyond it, known as The Void, entirely to the Voidari. As a reward for acting as the mediator between the two parties, King Luke Garai declared Jacen Harrell Warden of The Void and Lord of Duskcliff.
For generations, peace reigned in the land. The cities of Baccora grew, the technology of the people advanced, and noble houses rose and fell. Through it all, The Garai Royal line remained true and strong.
Until discontent, selfishness, jealousy, and ambition began to brew amongst the Lords of Baccora. Some began to grow jealous of the Garai family and their power, and some began to feel that they could rule the Kingdom better.
For nearly a thousand years The Garai family ruled in peace, but it was King Aramis who was to be the last Garai King.
King Aramis was only nine years old when he became King, due to his age he relied heavily upon his advisors; primarily: Lord Slade Paldora, and later, Lord Orion Keys. For ten years the boy ruled with the help of his advisors, and it was peaceful. Yet, as with the kings that came before him, the question of marriage began to arise upon Aramis’s eighteenth birthday.
Ultimately, a marriage alliance was arranged between the King and one of the daughters of The Lord of The Southern Plains, Lord Qualan Tulso. This marriage alliance was one that the Lords of the land had been vying for, for generations. The region of The Southern Plains was the largest and richest region in the kingdom, and the Tulso family was one of the oldest in the realm. Their roots went back to the first crossing a thousand, thousand years before.
To unite the two families would have meant security and peace between all the Lords in the kingdom. However, the marriage was never to be. King Aramis never even met Lord Tulso’s daughter, and for years he refused to set a wedding date. He was insistent that since he was young and healthy, there was no need to rush. The reason he had put off the marriage for so long, however, was because he was already in love with another.
A lowly servant girl by the name of Petra Ami.
The girl was a servant, but that meant nothing to Aramis. He intended to make her his Queen and break the marriage alliance that had been formed for him. The Garai family had ruled over Baccora for a thousand years, and with that numerous laws had been written and rewritten to secure the royal line and ensure its longevity. One law was that the Royal Council had to approve any marriages of the monarch.
Aramis knew that his advisors wouldn’t break the marriage alliance with Lord Tulso’s daughter, but there was one law that Aramis knew the council had no authority over; that was the Moral Faith Laws. Marriage is one of the most sacred and holy unions in the land. Its bonds were binding and its reverence surpassed that of the Council’s opinions and Royal Union decrees. It was so revered that it was the whole reason why the Council needed to approve Royal marriages, because once a marriage took place, it rarely, save a few exceptions, could be undone. So Aramis concluded that if he and Petra married in secret, the Council would simply have to deal with it.
So in the tenth year of his rule, Aramis and Petra, under the cover of dark, snuck into the nearest Holy Hall and paid off a deaf and mute Faith Scholar to perform the ceremony. They were accompanied by Lord Orion Keys and Lord Slade Paldora, the only two Council members Aramis truly trusted to act as witnesses. Or so he thought…
Aramis and Petra decided to live in secret, deciding to come forward with their marriage until an heir was secured. Aramis and Petra’s marriage was one of true adoration and love. It was said by those that knew their secret that it seemed like their heart beat as one; and it was as if they were two souls intertwined, their very beings calling to one another. Had the public ever gotten to know their secret queen and the king who adored her, songs would have been written for generations about their enduring love.
A year and a half after their secret union, Petra gave birth to a little girl whom they named Elvi. Princess Elvi Garai. As perfect as Princess Elvi was, her only fault was that she was a girl, and as the law stood, only a male heir could inherit the throne. So the couple decided to wait longer until a boy was born to them.
For four years they waited, until finally, a Prince was born. Prince Eli
For years Aramis appeased his Council about his marrying Lord Tulso’s daughter by giving them one excuse after another. So they decided that as soon as Petra felt well enough after the birth, it was time to tell the council and all of Baccora that they not only had a queen, but a little prince and princess.
Yet through all of their happiness, Aramis and Petra were blind to the deception that was brewing right under their noses. Slade Paldora, Lord of Stonefort and the East Isle had become ripe with ambition. For years he had been buying out time, plotting and scheming to take power for himself. When he learned of Aramis’ affinity to the servant girl, he encouraged the affection; knowing full well that it could be used as a weakness.
What Lord Paldora didn’t count on was Aramis actually wanting to marry the girl and legitimize her as Queen. Paldora had hoped Petra would just be a fling or the King’s Mistress, he had hoped a few illegitimate children would be born that he could use as pawns in his grab for power. Petra becoming Queen posed a different set of issues. Mainly: war.
The Lord of The Southern Plains was not one to take a slight so easily, nor was he one to freely forgive. Aside from the Royal Army, The Army of The Southern Plains was the largest. The Lord of The Southern Plains was not someone you wanted to have as an enemy. He was a fierce man and a force to be reckoned with.
So Paldora began a new scheme. A scheme that when Aramis and Petra revealed their secret and their heirs, would position Paldora in a great seat of power with the Lords of Baccora. He fully intended to fan the flames of war. He sided with Lord Tulso, urging him to seek revenge and justice for the slight against his daughter, his family, and his region of the kingdom.
Not much is known about how the Royal Council reacted to the news, but what followed was known as The Cold Night. For it was that night after the Council had been informed of Petra and the children, that Paldora’s seeds of discontent sprouted. Many of the local nobles sought out Paldora and Tulso, meeting in secret that night, and it was that very night that Paldora and Tulso formed their own council and the plans to usurp the throne for themselves.
Lord of The Southern Isles, Orion Key had been present at the meeting, not out of disloyalty for his King and Queen, but rather, because of his loyalty. Lord Orion was the youngest Lord, save for the King himself, and the youngest member of the Council. Aramis and Orion were so close, they often called each other their brother.
Orion immediately reported back to Aramis that a coupe was being planned at that very moment and that they needed to get to safety. Aramis agreed that Petra and the children needed to get to flee the capitol, but as King, he needed to stay and rally his guard and the Royal Army. Petra did not desire to part from Aramis, but she had no choice. Reluctantly, she prepared to leave The Crown Hall.
Orion arranged for Petra and the children to be taken to his estate on the Southern Isles until the unrest had passed. It would be a journey of a fortnight, but it had to be done. After seeing that Petra was safely evacuated from The Crown Hall, Orion returned to Amaris’ side.
Lord Paldora, however, counted on Orion to inform the king of the plan. Paldora had spies everywhere who watched everything. As Petra left the Palace, he already knew where her destination was to be and sent riders to intercept her.
At The Crown Hall, many of the Lords who were in residence at The Capitol gathered in the throne room to dispute with the King about his secret marriage and his heirs. Leading the arguments was none other than Lord Tulso. The man raged and ranted about the deception and the broken alliance. It was said that the Lord was so enraged that as he screamed at The King, blood vessels popped over the bridge of his nose and up his forehead.
Through it all, King Aramis tried to keep composed and tried to keep the peace. It was to no avail, however.
As the arguments were taking place, the throne room doors swung open with a loud crash, and riders wearing the armor of guards of The Southern Plains entered the room. Their hair was plastered to their foreheads with sweat, mud, grass, and all sort of debris clung to their armor. Silence filled the room as the realization came that the guards were splattered with blood.
It was said that King Aramis immediately went pale as a sheet. He rose from this throne and took a few steps down towards the guards.
“Speak… from where are you coming from?” But the guards did not acknowledge the King, instead, they turned to Lord Tulso, and from a dirtied and soiled burlap bag, they presented the Lord with a bloodied velvet cloak.
Petra’s cloak.
Against the throne room wall, Paldora smirked. He had arranged for riders to intercept and kill Petra and the children under the guise that it was Lord Tulso who made the order. Paldora knew that the action would thrust the entire Kingdom into chaos.
A range of emotions washed over Aramis’ face. With rage and heartache, he drew his sword and cut down the guard where he stood before lunging at Lord Tulso. Lord Tulso was in utter shock. He did not recognize the guards that stood before him even though they wore his realm’s uniforms, and he most certainly did not give the order to harm the woman and the children.
The Royal Guard pulled the king away from causing any more harm; but as they dragged him away, he made one last declaration:
“This is war Tulso! You and your family will pay!”
Chaos erupted in the throne room at that very moment, lord turned against lord, and guard against guard. Aramis was rushed from the throne room and down the main corridor of The Crown Hall. Seeing the chaos at hand, Orion swiftly made his way out of the throne room to defend what was left of the royal family.
Still inside the throne room, Tulso made his way over to Paldora in a rage.
“You did this! You made the order!” Tulso said, shoving the bloodied cloak at Paldora
“A necessary evil to bring about necessary change,” Paldora smirked, allowing the cloak to fall at his feet. It was then that Tulso began to realize all the deception and the lies of Paldora. Paldora had known about Petra and the children, yet continued to foster the idea that a marriage alliance would take place between the king and The Southern Plains. Tulso began to realize that he had been deceived and used as a tool in his grab at power.
Just as Tulso was beginning to see the whole picture, Paldora plunged a knife into Tulso’s chest. All in the throne room were too busy fighting amongst themselves to notice what was taking place between the two lords. Using his guards dressed in Southern Plains, Paldora was ushered from the throne room.
Safe inside a carriage making its way out of The Capitol, Aramis broke down in tears. His family. His family was dead… or so he thought.
As Orion had begun to make arrangements to transport Petra and the children, she had a change of heart. She convinced Orion to send her as a decoy and to conceal the children within The Capitol. Orion promised to ensure the children’s safety and sent her on her way.
When the fighting broke out in the throne room and with the king swiftly removed, Orion made his way down to the catacombs of The Crown Hall. It was there that he had concealed the children with the help of their nanny.
Chaos had broken out now, not only within The Crown Hall but within the city itself as word spread of the coupe and now the death of Lord Tulso. Orion’s only hope was that Aramis got out of the city and was making his way to The Southern Isles for safety. Orion fled on horseback with the children, in his arms he carried Princess Elvi, and on his back, he wore the infant Prince Eli.
With chaos reigning everywhere now, the city guard, under the order of Paldora, began to close the city gates to prevent people from fleeing. Orion had no time to spare. As he approached the east city gate, he saw a carriage that he recognized. The King’s carriage.
From the shadows, he looked on in horror as agents of Paldora dragged Aramis from the carriage and had him killed in the street.
His friend and brother was dead. Orion had no time to mourn, he needed to think quickly and get the children to safety. Dismounting his horse, he went on foot. Scaling the city wall while carrying the Prince and Princess. By noon the following day, he had made it the several miles to the rendezvous point he had originally arranged with his trusted men to take the Royal family to safety.
It was by then that Paldora had been informed that the children still lived. Fearing and knowing that their survival meant that his claim to power would be disputed, Paldora put out the order to find them by any means necessary. The kingdom broke into factions. Some rose against Paldora and his grab at power, and some bolstered Paldora and hailed them as their new leader.
Along the borders of The Southern Plains, however, Orion found himself to be in dangerous territory. Word had gotten back to Lady Tulso about the broken marriage alliance and her husband’s death. The Lady vowed vengeance for her husband and revenge against the now-deceased king. The children were in grave danger. For if they were caught in The Southern Plains, it was very likely that Lady Tulso would have the innocent children killed to satisfy her need for revenge.
Loyal to Lord Orion, were Cade Westerling and Lord Otto Oranta. Westerling was a legendary young sell sword from The Mainlands, he was nearly six foot seven inches tall, with shoulders as wide as a doorframe, and fists as hard as steel. Despite his fearsome fighting abilities and menacing appearance, the man was a gentle giant toward his friends. Lord Otto Oranta was a lord and wealthy merchant also from The Mainlands, he hired Westerling as a personal guard and had interests in business and politics with Baccora. Although not a skilled fighter Lord Otto was witty and incredibly intelligent.
It was agreed upon that the children should be separated.
Princess Elvi would travel to The Mainlands and be raised by Lord Otto and guarded by Westerling, and Prince Eli would continue with Orion to The Southern Isles. It was not an easy decision to make, but it had to be done. Orion departed from his companions after acquiring a new horse and carried the infant himself through the dangerous countryside of The Southern Plains to make it to the southeastern most coast of Baccora, and eventually to his realm of The Southern Isles.
After weeks of uncertainty, word reached Orion and Otto that the two parties had made it to safety. While all was quiet and safe in The Mainlands and on The Southern Isles, it was not to be the case in Baccora. The whole kingdom had fallen into war as Paldora proclaimed himself as Lord Chancellor. Something greater than a King.
He began to rule with an unkind iron fist. Forcing citizens into slavery, cruelly executing those who spoke out against him, and tearing the land apart. He ruled with pure terror and fear.
Under the threat of death, a rebellion began to stir. Lords loyal to the Garai family sought to overthrow Paldora. Few knew about the survival of Princess Elvi and Prince Eli, but those who did worked tirelessly to fund the rebellion in hopes that one day one of the children would sit on the throne.
For nearly twenty years, the rebels fought back against Paldora and his evil forces. Across The Break in The Mainlands, Lord Otto had raised Princess Elvi to be a noble and true leader. At the time of her father’s assassination, she was old enough to have some memories of the events, and she longed to see her homeland and her people experience peace again.
On The Southern Isles, things were a slightly different story. Lord Orion, although loyal to the cause to see Paldora deposed, sunk into grief over the loss of his dear friend, Aramis, and shielded Prince Eli from the world, raising him in the ways of a Faith Scholar. It was only on Prince Eli’s sixteenth birthday that the boy was told of his true parentage and his claim to the throne. By then, however, the boy was determined to live out his days as a Scholar and live a life of poverty and chastity.
When Prince Eli was reunited with his sister at the age of eighteen, he publicly relinquished all claims to the throne and took final vows as a Faith Scholar, and vowed to serve his sister as an advisor once she became Queen. As word spread of the Prince and Princess’s survival, the people of Baccora started to rebel even more against Paldora. It was at this time that the fighting was the bloodiest and fiercest.
Through the bloodshed and chaos of war, however, happiness was found. Princess Elvi met, fell in love, and married a man named Captain Fabian Sauza. Fabian was a Captain in the Rebel Navy, and he commanded the fierce gunner ship known as The Wavecrest. Within a year of their marriage, Princess Elvi gave birth to a little boy, Prince Kian Garai.
The rebels were pushing back against Paldora and his forces. Paldora, knowing that he was losing power, doubled down harder with his assault both on the people of Baccora and the rebel forces. His methods were heinous, even to the point that his own family began to turn against him.
Paldora’s youngest son revolted against him and fled Baccora with his young family, taking with him Paldora’s only heir to his throne, his granddaughter Rieka. With allies turning against him, Paldora did the unthinkable. With what information he had about Princess Elvi’s whereabouts, he sent out an elite strike force with one goal in mind.
Capture Prince Kian alive.
Paldora’s men crossed The Break and found their way into Princess Elvi’s rebel camp. They took the camp by surprise and slaughtered all who stood in their way. Prince Kian was successfully captured, and the young ten-year-old boy was brought to Paldora.
As part of Paldora’s sick and twisted plan, he began to raise the boy as his own. Simply having the boy in his possession forced the rebels to cease their onslaught against Paldora. Paldora began working on twisting the boy’s mind and molding it so that the boy would become his own agent of evil.
Devastated over the kidnapping of her son, Princess Elvi pulled back her forces against Paldora out of fear that Paldora would kill the boy. For years, little was known about Kian’s welfare. Yet, Princess Elvi did not stop the fight entirely. In secret, she worked to try and find a way to bring about Paldora’s downfall, all while trying to ensure that her son would not be killed.
It was then that she met Silas Paldora, the youngest son of her enemy. The son who revolted against his own father. Silas had been living secretly on The Western Isles with his daughter Rieka.
Both Silas and Elvi began working together to figure out a way to overthrow Paldora. During this time, Paldora caught wind of the new alliance and sent out a new attack. He sent forces to raid the Southern Isles and The Western Isles, taking aim at Prince Eli and young Rieka. This attack divided the rebel forces and scattered them.
During the attack, Silas was killed and it was a huge blow to the cause. With Rieka now an orphan, Elvi took her under her wing and began to treat the girl like a daughter and prepare her to be the next leader of the rebel cause. Yet, Elvi never held out hope that her own son would be returned to her.
By this time the war had gone on for over forty years and Paldora wasn’t getting any younger. Paldora’s only heirs had either been killed during the war or turned against him. With no potential biological heirs, Paldora turned to the only two young men in the Baccora whom he trusted. The general of his army, General Hess, and Prince Kian.
Paldora began to foster a competitive spirit between the two young men. His goal, it was said, was for the two men to fight each other to the point of one of their demises. Whoever made it out alive would be his heir.
In the ten years that Kian spent as Paldora’s captive, Paldora had successfully groomed and weaponized the boy. He installed him as the leader of an elite group of Knights known as Shadow Knights. The Shadow Knights were agents of Paldora, commissioned to follow through with some of Paldora’s most heinous atrocities. Paldora stripped and beat out of Kian everything that he once was and his identity as a Garai Prince. Kian became nothing more than a shell. An agent of all the evil things Paldora desired to do.
News of all the evil that The Shadow Knights committed swiftly spread, and Princess Elvi truly began to believe that her son was lost forever. Rieka, on the other hand, refused to believe such a thing. Although she had never met the prince, she truly believed that there could still be good in him.
Against Princess Elvi’s wishes, Rieka made a last-ditch effort to reach out to Kian. Managing to sneak into the Shadow Knight’s camp, which was located on Stonefort Island, Paldora’s family holdfast for generations, she made contact with the Prince. It is unknown what was said, but Kian and the rest of The Shadow Knights allowed Rieka and her companions to leave Stonefort unharmed.
It is unclear exactly how things transpired in the weeks that followed that meeting between the Captured Prince and the Usurper’s Granddaughter, but Paldora’s once-trusted allies quickly turned against him. Both rebel forces and Paldora’s own forces rallied at Stonefort, surrounding the island and its holdfast.
A great battle ensued both by land and by sea. The Wavecrest led the rebel navy, captained by Fabian Sauza and Princess Elvi, and on board the vessel was Rieka and Westerling, who had now sworn his sword to the young woman. By sea, ships clashed and the cannon fire was deafening. Soon the waters became littered with debris, smoldering wreckage, and visibility was hazed with smoke.
From Stonefort, the great fortress fired off round after round of heavy cannon fire. Its cannons were some of the most technologically advanced and were able to fire great distances. One of the fortress's mega-cannons locked onto The Wavecrest and began its bombardment of the vessel. The ship took on too much damage and Captain Sauza ordered his crew to abandon ship.
Princess Elvi begged her husband to evacuate with her, but the stubborn man refused. Kissing his beloved wife one last time, he maintained the ship’s helm while his crew evacuated. Westerling, Rieka, and the rest of The Wavecrest crew helped Princess Elvi to the shores of Stonefort and defended her through the onslaught of Paldora’s forces, but it came at a cost.
Cannon fire bombarded the beach and splintered wood rained down, a large shard piercing Princess Elvi through the shoulder. The princess was too wounded to continue onwards toward the fortress. Through the smoke, flames, and shadows, however, a knight appeared. Those loyal to the Princess fully intended to defend her until their dying breath, but this knight put down his sword and took off his helmet.
It was Prince Kian.
For the first time in fifteen years, the mother and son got to look each other in the face. The crowd of people loyal to the Princess parted and allowed Rain to kneel down beside his dying mother. Looking out to sea, Kian also saw The Wavecrest sinking beneath the waters. A few words were whispered between the mother and son, but no one could hear exactly what was said.
It was then that Princess Elvi took her final breaths.
Kian reached for his sword and began his one-man march toward the fortress.
“Stay! Fight with us!” Rieka begged Kian.
“My battle is elsewhere.” He said before disappearing into the smoke.
Hidden deep inside the fortress. Paldora could see that his forces were dwindling and he was running out of time. He called his military advisors to his side and put in action his last stand.
Total destruction of Stonefort.
Buried deep within the fortress was an arsenal of deadly explosives. Paldora intended to decimate Stonefort and destroy everyone with it.
Not much is known as to what happened next. The only witnesses to the events either died in the destruction or are presumed dead. A series of explosions started to go off, shaking the ground and causing parts of the great fortress to plunge into the sea. It is unknown just how many died from the explosions, but when the smoke cleared, the rebels were the last ones standing.
For days the rubble was searched and bodies were recovered. In the innermost chamber of Stonefort, the bodies of Paldora, his personal guard, his advisors, and six of the seven Shadow Knights were discovered. They had not been killed by any of the blasts however, no, they had been killed by the sword.
Rieka personally oversaw the search for one body in particular… Prince Kian; but for reasons unknown, no sign of him was ever discovered.
It was like he vanished into thin air.