Birthright: Lord of Arda

by Cox, Craig

  "Here, the final touch. Do not turn it over until we get inside the grand hall and Page gives you the nod."

  The tailor wrapped a cape over his left shoulder, he secured it with a clasp on his right side, the cape was pure black with only a golden outline. Lifting it up slightly Braden saw the deep purple of house Drake and smiled. Panorin pushed his hand back down so no one could see the colour underneath before walking back to middle of the room. Braden gave himself another look in the mirror before walking over to Alex, who was also fully dressed and waiting.

  "It looks like you will be able to bring Magnus with you."

  His friend pointed to the clasp that Panorin had fixed on him. It was in the shape of a Lion's head, the edges of the cape sat between it’s teeth. Braden smiled, looking from the clasp to the door of Page's bedroom where Magnus was probably sleeping. The door opened again, this time Mace Hearth and his son entered, Page following closely behind. The two men were dressed in white tunics over which hung polished steel chain mail, the bottom half of which was an armoured skirt of layered steel on white leather. Each of their swords hung in sheaths identical to Braden's own, only the leaves were silver instead of gold. On their left shoulders were half capes of pure white with a purple rose emblazoned on each. They each carried a simple helmet made of steel and polished to perfection. Braden stepped forward and they both knelt in front of him, he waved them up and shook both of their hands before turning to Page. He was dressed in the same clothes he had worn on the first day they met, in fact, he looked exactly the same apart from a bright spark behind his eyes.

  "Are we all ready, then?"

  "Apart from Ashe."

  "Good, she is meeting us on the way. Now let us go the meeting, it about to start and we don’t want to miss too much before we make our entrance."

  Chapter XL

  Alexander

  They walked in a convoy, Page walking in front as Braden strode a few paces behind. He looked so different to the boy Alex had grown up with, he fitted into the clothes and the surrounding so perfectly it was obviously in his blood. Behind him was his two newly sworn-in guards. Alex had to admit they looked striking in their amazing armour, the combination of the brightly polished steel and the white made it hard to look at them with the sunlight shining through the windows. Alex was at the rear with Troy, the little boy was bouncing in anticipation. Alex couldn’t blame him, he was about to watch his best friend become one of the most powerful men in the country. They walked for about ten minutes. It wasn’t the direct route to the great hall from Page's chambers. They left by the exit in the main living area and made their way around to the front of the main atrium before entering the great hall. The nobility were permitted to enter by one of the side entrances but everyone else needed to go through the front door. The halls were silent, all the nobility in the Citadel were already in the hall and only a few servants were roaming the halls. As they reached the end of the living quarters, Page stopped at a junction of corridors which led off into different parts of the Citadel. They stood there silently for a few minutes. Alex was about to ask Page why they stopped, when he saw why. Walking down the corridor was Ashe, she was dressed in a dark but vibrant green, her hair was curled and placed carefully around her face and falling over her shoulders. Her cheeks were slightly rosy and her lips were darker than usual. The dress was cut low and flowed down to the floor. Her arms were bare apart from her gloves which matched the dress perfectly. She walked slowly up to the group, two of Panorin's ladies walked behind her dressed in a similar green as well. As she reached Braden she curtsied. The look on Braden's face was probably the same as Alex's. Ashe looked beautiful, he hadn't seen anyone look more beautiful in his life. It took Braden another second to take Ashe's hand and allow her to stand up to her full height, she was wearing shoes with heels as she was now at Braden's eye level. She turned and smiled at Alex and Troy before turning back to Braden, tucking her arm into his, before the group set off again. Alex looked down at Troy whose mouth was wide open, he flicked the boy’s ear and ushered him along after the others. It took the group another few minutes to reach the atrium, Page stopped just before the entrance turning to Braden who only nodded. The atrium was huge, the largest in the Citadel. Along each wall were rows of benches, each one was currently full of minor noblemen talking amongst themselves. The ground was a mixture of coloured tiles, flower beds spread out across the fifty-foot space. As they walked through, one by one the noblemen started to take notice, some turned back to their conversations, but most pointed and whispered to his neighbour. They made quite a scene, as a few of the noblemen began to follow them at a distance. They walked past the great oak which stood tall in the middle of the atrium and within sight of the great doors leading into the King’s hall. In front of the doors stood twenty-four armed men, ten were dressed in the red and gold regalia of the King. The other seven pairs were dressed in the colours of their respective lords. As the group approached the doors, the two King’s men stepped forward, their hands on their swords.

  "Halt, in the name of the King. I cannot permit you to enter the hall with a weapon."

  The first guard motioned to Braden and as in perfect sync, Mace and his son dropped their hands to their swords in response. This caused the rest of the King’s men to do the same.

  "Sir Brakwood, Sir Knowle knows of our reasons for being here."

  Page motioned to the King’s guard who stood to the right of the door. His armour was much more ornamental than the others. The man's hair was greying at the temples and Alex guessed that he was the guard-in-charge. Sir Knowle stepped away from the door and moving between the two guards he whispered to them, one by one they took a step away from the group.

  "Mr Page, it is good to see you again, you and your group may pass, however I cannot permit your two guards to enter."

  Page nodded first to Sir Knowle then to Mace. Mace and his son stepped to the side and allowed Alex and Troy to step up behind Braden and Ashe. They had taken just a few steps, when another guard, an orange boar on his chest, his hand on his sword barred their way, his colleague followed suit, closely behind.

  "Sir Knowle, I must protest. I cannot allow a weapon in my Lord’s presence without my being beside him."

  "Sir Marek, Page and this man are on the King’s business, do you want to question the King? Also, I am sure your master carries his own sword."

  The boar guard took a step back, Alex could see frustration in his eyes. He waved back his colleague and they retook their place. Page led the way through the doors into the great hall.

  Chapter XIL

  Braden

  Braden stood at the foot of the great hall, Page had told him it was seventy feet wide by two hundred and fifty feet long. It was the biggest building in Arda and possibly in the entire continent. The room was decorated with tapestries along each wall and at the end was a stained glass window. It stretched from wall to wall and from six foot above the floor to three from ceiling, five stone pillars separated the window scene. Below the window stood the royal dais and in its centre was the throne of Arda. It stood nine foot high and almost five foot wide at the base. Designs were etched into the wood and covered in gold-leaf. They pictured the battles whichhad forged the Kingdom of Arda centuries before. In front of the dais a large semi-circular table stood facing the King, around it sat nine men and another two stood at the shoulders of two of the High Lords. Looking to the side, he noticed that on the benches lined along the right hand wall, small groups of noble ladies sat whispering. To his left the young men of the nobility did the same.

  "This is where you need to wait, it is just Braden and me from here."

  Page had gone through this part of the plan many times but Braden could still see the reluctance to leave him in Alex's eyes. His friend had always been there to protect him from childhood. He gave his friend a smile and nod, he couldn’t do much more. Eyes were now on him, he needed to act like a nobleman. Ashe curtsied again and Troy stood in silence, turning back t
o the room Braden took Page's lead. The walk felt as if it took forever, the room was long and empty. The table of Lords was more than three quarters of the way down and was empty except for a red carpet, which ran the length of the room. As they got closer, Braden noticed that there were three empty seats at the table, one in between two High Lords and two at the end. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, he made a conscious effort not to grip the hilt of his sword. He couldn’t give the impression that he was a threat to anyone at this table but he missed the security of holding his sword. Once they reached the table, Page led them off to the left. One of the Lords was addressing the King about the trade treaties in the North. One by one the Lords looked towards Braden and Page, the looks were unnerving and Braden’s heart was racing. One of the men stood and turned to look at him and Braden's heart sank as looking straight at him, through ginger locks was Corla. The young man’s eyes were full of malice as he realised who Braden was. He bent down quickly to whisper to an older man who Braden guessed was his father. The old man waved him away which made Corla turn red with anger, before he burst out.

  "What do you think you are doing here peasent. Father, have him arrested."

  Corla pointed at Braden, the outburst had caught Braden by surprise, but he wasn’t the only one. The King sat bolt upright and glared at Corla.

  "Lord Cadare, please keep your son in check. Or I will have him removed."

  The man who had been addressing the King angrily spoke to Corla’s father.

  "Lord Cadare, I would remind you that this is the second time your son has spoken out of turn today."

  An older gentleman leaned forward to look past Lord Cadare and smile at Braden.

  "Lord Waldestein, Lord Bradley. I apologise, my son will not speak again, otherwise I will personally remove him from this hall."

  Lord Waldestein disappeared back from sight behind Lord Cadare, a smile imprinted on his face. Lord Bradley continued with his previous conversation, however, he had just began when the King held up his hand to pause him.

  "I’m sorry Lord Bradley, but I believe Mr Page has something he wants to say."

  The Lord seemed a little flustered but couldn’t protest to the King. He took his seat and glared at Braden, which didn’t help with how he was feeling. All was about to happen, not only to his life but to those of his friends.

  "Your Majesty, my Lords. I present to you, the only child and sole heir of High Lord Arthon Drake, Braden Drake."

  The silence seemed to hang for hours before the table erupted with noise, five of the Lords jumped to their feet questioning Page and his acquisition. Lord Cadare seemed to be the quietest of the five, a plump Lord to his side was making the biggest noise. Lord Cadare stared at Braden with eyes full of hate, his son's were full of shock but instantly turned back into malice. The four men who stayed seated seemed relaxed and unmoved by the knowledge, Braden realised this must have been how Page had spent the last three days and nights doing, informing and getting these men on side. The King also sat motionless but his eyes did not leave Braden’s face, his gaze was heavy and it made Braden feel uncomfortable. He turned back to look at Corla, his eyes of malice were easier to take than the King’s unreadable stare. As the five men began to quieten down, Braden noticed a smile creep over Lord Waldestein's lips, he looked up at Lord Cadare beside him and his smile grew wider.

  "Mr Page, I assume you have some evidence to this matter."

  It was another of the Lords who had stayed seated that had spoken. The King ordered the rest of the Lords to be seated before Page began. He went through everything, from when Braden’s father had first began to speak about Braden’s mother to him and his other friends in court. He had spoken about his failed relationship with his wife, his death, then Braden's history from when he was born until this day. The sword, the family traits, Bronn and everything. It took Page over half an hour to go through everything he knew, which was more than Braden imagined. He couldn’t tell if some of it was made up or true, including information about a will naming his son, even though to everyone's knowledge he didn’t leave one. One or two of the Lords who had objected seemed to relax. Each one took a long hard look at him, when Page mentioned the family resemblance. Finally he finished, the room fell silent. The Lords looked between Braden and Page then spoke amongst themselves. A few looked up towards the King, who was sitting motionless, his chin was resting on his fingertips as he looked straight ahead.

  "Page, do you really think your words, some old text and a look-alike are enough to convince this counsel and your King that this person is a High Lord."

  It was the fat Lord who spoke up first. As he finished, he looked over towards Lord Cadare.

  "I agree this seems far-fetched at best." The red haired man added.

  "Mr Page do you have any other evidence to support this man's claims. You do know what the price is for pretending to be nobility."

  It was the King who had spoken. For the first time Braden noticed the King’s guard standing behind the throne and hidden in the shadows, every man around the table carried a sword, even the King.

  "Yes Sire and I do. Braden please, your ring."

  Braden was confused, he remembered Page speaking about the ring when he first met him, how, he had told him that it was his father’s and a family heirloom. He had noticed that Page had omitted to mention it when he was talking before and now thinking about it, it was probably one of the strongest links, he had to his father. He pulled out the ring from under his shirt, it was still on the same cord that his mother had given to him back in Farnshire. He rubbed his finger on the pure white stone. Visions of his mother flashed in front of his eyes, he made an effort to control his emotions before everyone present. He turned the ring over in his hand before presenting it to the King.

  "A ring, this proves nothing."

  "Lord Rathbone sit down." The King shouted.

  The outburst caught Braden by surprise causing him almost to drop the ring. The King's face was contorted in anger, but it quickly shifted back to the emotionless stance it had before. His eyes were locked on Braden, but this time they were filled with anticipation, for what Braden wasn’t at all sure. Looking back at the Lord’s table, he saw Lord Waldestein lean forward with a similar look in his eye.

  "Braden, please put the ring on. Your right middle finger please."

  Page asked. Braden stopped and exchanged the ring from hand to hand. As he slipped it over his finger he felt the same warm feeling that he got into a fight, flow up his finger into his hand and arm. He realised that it was the ring which had caused that feeling. As it passed over his second knuckle, he felt the heat double, triple, until all he could feel was the pain. He yelled out clutching his hand as the ring tightened. He felt blood drip through his fingers and up his hand onto the floor. The pain was excruciating at first but within a few seconds it had completely vanished, even now as the blood still trickled from his hand he could feel nothing. As he raised his hand up to his face he watched the ring begin to alter. The golden band seemed to expand and slowly becoming wider and flatten around his finger and the white stone began to change in colour and a purple haze washed over the stone. The blood had stopped flowing and he turned his hand over to look at the damage but there was nothing. The skin was intact and unmarked, only the drying blood showed that something had happened. As he turned his hand over, he heard one of the Lords gasp, looking past his hand he realised that one of the Lords was actually a Lady. She was beautiful, long dark hair flowing down over her shoulders, a dark blue dress closely hugged her figure. Her eyes were a deep green and her lips a delicate shade of red. She smiled back at him, which made him blush. She was sitting next to Lord Waldestein whose smile was even wider than before. Lord Cadare's eyes hadn't changed, his face was calm but his eyes were blazing with anger. His son stood confused with his mouth was wide open. Lord Waldestein looked from side to side before standing up with his arms wide.

  "This proves it then, Braden is the heir to his father, Lord
Arthon Drake."

  "But, But..."

  The younger Cadare stammered, it was his third outburst of the day which was enough to get in him thrown out Waldestein just smiled, as he patted the Braden on the back.

  "That ring, is bound to the Drake family. Only someone with his blood can make the ring react in that way. When the stone turned from white to purple, it proved Page was right and Braden is a Drake, am I right your majesty?"

  Everyone turned to the King, the man looked from Waldestein to Braden before standing, as he did everyone in the room stood. Even the young and minor Lords and Ladies at the back of the room, jumped up from their seats when they realised that the King had stood up.