Tale of Four

Sat on his throne, Hyman held a letter in his hand, hunched over as he glared at everyone who entered, his friendly smile gone with a stern look. Slowly, the lords and knights took their place, dropping whatever mood they were in, seeing the Lord’s serious attitude. When one who had been disallowed to sit in the room the first day entered, Hyman would turn to them, staring without a blink, until they lowered their head and left.

"Watch carefully. Say nothing, do nothing." Oliver whispered to Jeremy as they took a place near the back, leaning against the wall. Hyman passed a glance over him before settling on Jeremy. Looking at Oliver, his eyes sharpened. Oliver didn’t smile, shrugging and resting a hand on Jeremy’s shoulder, making Hyman smirk momentarily before looking around again.

When the door closed, he rose and held the letter high. "It’s been three days since I sent word to the King." Hyman took a deep breath, "House Grove, House Mortly and House Starlight have declared for the Prince." The room frowned, hearing the split in the major Crown Land Lords, "Alongside them, numerous minor Lords have declared for the prince."

"My Lord." A knight stepped forward, bowing, "Any news regarding the King’s family. Have they allinged with him, or..." Hyman raised his hand to stop the man from talking and nodded.

"Mary Comsmaton has declared neutrality in the war, returning to her husband’s lands. Hyman closed his eyes for a moment, thinking for a second, "Under no circumstance is anyone to try to sway the woman. Her relationship with the King and Prince is soemthing they value more than her allegiance." Everyone nodded in understanding. "Prince Brandon’s daughters were quickly taken away from Everlight; their location, along with the prince, remains unknown."

Hyman looked back down at the letter, "Prince Cleeve has taken refuge in House Starlight, returning from exile. He has supported Prince Brandon along with his children. Prince Vincent has returned to Everlight and declared King Anton the true king. Ester’s whereabouts are unknown. The King has said she will likely support Prince Brandon however."

The silent room seemed to get quieter as they pondered Hymans’ words. Each member of the Cosmaton dynasty was an extra soldier worth a small army, depending on their summons. With the extra support from two of his siblings and their children, they could all see Brandon’s chances had dramatically risen, even if he didn’t get the support of the majority of the Great Lords.

"The North is neutral?" Someone asked, getting a shrug from Hyman.

"Act under that assumption. The North has only ever moved south during Theo ’The Northens’ reign, and even then, it was one house." Hyman replied, getting knowing nods from the rest of the room, "The King has sent word he will take to the field eventually." The room lit up at those words. The few who had fought on the Silent Hills with Anton were ecstatic by the news, "Lord Deacon has been named chancellor and regent once more, but gave the condition that his family remains neutral. Lord Deacon has proved himself to stand by his word, so as long as his children don’t act stupid, they shall be neither an ally nor an enemy."

Hyman let the men mutter to one another, those who had fought with Anton, telling stories of the King’s prowess. Oliver perked his ear and listened, unable to believe some of the stories they told.

’Leaving a Hill covered in silk. Killing twenty men in one charge. Surely they must be exaggerating. He hardly sounds human.’ Telling himself, he looked down at Jeremy, who was completely entranced by the stories picturing himself as the King in that situation.

"There is bad news." Hyman said as the conversation died down, making them stop, "Ser Guy Daywatch and Ser Flynn Trident have given up the gold cloak in service of Anton and declared Prince Brandon as the true King." The room tensed up, hearing two of the King Guard flock to Brandon. Everyone knew Brandon had a legitimate claim to the throne based on blood and age, but with members of the Kingguard swearing to him, it gave him even greater legitimacy.

"Traitors." Someone said, scowling, earning angry nods in reply. "They have sworn to King Anton already. To break their oath to the Lord of Chivalry and Repentance so easily." Hyman lifted his hand.

"The King claims they killed all pursuers who tried to capture and execute them for breaking their oath. Roderick, Maxwell, Otis. You three are the only ones I trust to face those two in single combat. If anyone else sees them, do not try to engage and win glory. You shall be cut down before you notice." Roderick, Maxwell and Lord Tusk all nodded as Hyman continued.

"Lord Sunflare has declared for the King; he had sent word a few days after Cillian Cosmaton’s death, swearing allegiance if war broke out." Hyman chuckled, "I have sent word to Lord Sunflare to see how he shall move."

"The other Great Lords, your Grace? Which of them?" Hyman turned to Ralph, who nodded and stood up.

"Reports have reached me. The Desert Lords are mobilising. Lord Elvissia is yet to move himself, but his vassals on the borders are preparing just in case. It appears he is holding back until he has confirmed the Blackwell stance. As for the Blackwells, they have been surprisingly quiet so far. However, this may be simply because I have yet to receive news about them." Ralph said before retaking his seat.

"The Waterway won’t fall easily if we must assault it then," Roderick said with a grim voice. Turning to Lord Limb, he nodded, "You must begin your plans in the Desert soon. Keep a path clear for our men to march through." Lord Limb returned a nod and looked to Hyman.

"Permission to leave."

"Granted."

Lord Limb bowed and rose, "I shall leave my steward behind to speak on my behalf. His words are to be treated as my own." Saying that, he turned and left, getting happy smiles from the rest of the room.

"My lord, there is only one course of action we can take." A handsome man, with a sharp jaw and brown eyes, stepped forward, on his back the sigil of a two-headed goat, Lord Goat, the head of the Alkaris branch family. Despite the branch family having lost the bloodline power of the Alkaris family after so long, their words were treated with deep respect, drawing the room’s complete focus to him.

Hyamn leaned forward, giving a small nod for Lord Goat to continue, "We must ensure the passage to the Waterway from the south is secure in the situation that Lord Elvissia sides with Prince Brandon." Lord Goat took a deep breath, "This means securing the Deserts’ east. Because of that, I propose a full-scale invasion of the desert, securing the entire Desert Gate. Let Lord Limb bleed them dry ahead of us. Then the Lazwell fleet shall move to place pressure on their southern coast at Saltpoint. Lord Sunflare is no green brat. If we coordinate with him, he can help the King deal with Hampton and the Crownlands houses, then turn to the Waterway and lay siege to it from the Crownlands’ and Hills entrance. I trust our king enough to end the Hampton threat alone."

Hyman scratched his beard and fell into thought, staring into his distant relative’s eyes, "It’s a dangerous gamble, Samuel. Whilst I already planned this, what you want requires speed, and those rats won’t let that happen easily."

"But if it works, we may have the Waterway surrounded on three sides. The King is the only one who can deal with the Artlands in earnest; we are too far and must deal with the desert. As for the Blackwells, they will likely side with the king; after all, Prince Brandon has made it clear he wishes for the Blackwells’ death over the years." Lord Goat looked down at the map on the table, "The waterway is all that matters for us. Securing it is a necessity. We saw how quickly the Desert laid siege to the south of the Crownlands, the hills and valleys, once they took it in their rebellion. Once we have it, we will be free to continue the war as we see fit."

"Your reasoning is sound." Hyman smiled, "But Lord Bunker has already been tasked with that."

"You know what I want is different. That is a slow march. What I am saying is a quick invasion, multiple fronts. We will be spread thin, but Lord Carter will be as well. Once the Desert Gate is secured, we hold firm. Any attempt the desert makes to push back will be crushed." Samuel countered, getting a groan from Hyman.

"As much as I have a distaste for the Desert, they are strong opponents Samuel. Their previous uprising wasn’t stopped due to the invasion, but by the death of Lord Carter’s son. If I am to commit to an invasion, then we risk heavy losses, Samuel. I am loyal, but I have a responsibility to everyone here. I can’t risk leaving our lands unprotected." Samuel frowned, getting a smirk from Hyman, "But there is merit in your plan. Roderick, send word to your brother. Have him prepare an additional fleet to sack the coastal towns. Nothing too large, I still need to trade with the southern continent to continue."

"At once, your Grace."

"Lord Bunker. There will be no change in your assault towards the Waterway, unless required. Continue planning as you have. And Samuel, depending on how quickly Carter mobilises, will decide your action." Lord Bunker bowed. Samuel stared at Hyman for a while and sighed, shrugging. "Lord Goldvein, coordinate with the fleet. I expect your mines to open for us in these critical times."

"Of course, Your Grace." Unlike the rest of the Lords present, Lord Goldvein was a greying man with rolls of fat stacked atop one another, having let himself enjoy his wealth in his old age. His eyes flashed with a shrewd glint as he clapped his hands together, "But of course, my gold isn’t free. Discounted, not free."

His words got the roll of eyes from many of the people around, yet Hyman took no offence, chuckling at the brazen attempt to skim some benefits from him. "Make a list of what you want." The shrewd glint in his eyes sparkled. Hyman bared his teeth, seeing it, and carried on, "Don’t be too greedy in your old age, Victor."

"Relax, Your Grace. I wouldn’t dare scam you. I shall save it for those outside of the Valley." Victor said with a light chuckle, "Will you need me to hire mercenaries from abroad?"

"No." Hyman quickly rejected it, "They can’t be trusted. I know you are a rich man, Victor, but if Clover sides with Prince Brandon, I refuse to believe your pocket is as deep as his." Victor shrugged and stepped back, making a plan in his mind, wondering how much he could earn from the war.

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