The Unexpected Heir: A Tale of Alus

by Wigboldy,Donald

  Annalicia's face brightened and she slid free of her mother's light embrace. Her sister was the first to break and hurry forward to hug her little sister, who was no longer that little.

  "I will miss you, Anna," the older girl said into her ear as they hugged. The middle child had brown hair like their father and his green, almond shaped eyes. A solid mix of their parents, it was easy to see that Alicia was the tie that bound them all, and it wasn't just from her looks.

  "I'll miss you too," the young wizard said finally breaking. Tears welled up as the final piece of her family and closest friend broke down the wall Annalicia had set to avoid such a spectacle.

  When Xerese finally came down the stairs and followed the sound of voices to the kitchen, the girl wondered at all the fuss. It took her presence to settle the tears and still the hugs, though only for a short time.

  Three carriages carried the family down to the docks and a fair size frigate painted mostly blue. The Sea Dragon appeared like an extension of the waves and sea surrounding it. It wasn't her family's largest vessel, but it was outfitted not only for trade but defense as well. Cannon and a small contingent of marines hired to protect it wouldn't be the only defenses of the Sea Dragon with wizards aboard, but they would be enough to dissuade pirates and privateers alike if necessary.

  A small crowd had gathered before the ship by the time they arrived. The people cheered as the wizards walked a corridor formed by the city guard. A platform stood in front of the Sea Dragon letting Annalicia know that this gathering wasn't just for the wizards.

  King Orlaan had sent his queen with his second born son, Prince Jeremiah, to see them off with a fanfare. The guards thickened around the platform and there was a drapery behind it in case they needed to duck away to safety. It wasn't major protection, but there were enough guards between those from the militia and those from the palace that it shouldn't be necessary.

  In spite of the words of unrest generated by the Brothers of the Blood, Malaiy seemed content with their rulers. Generally loved by their people, the guards were simply a safety measure that was largely believed unnecessary.

  When Annalicia stepped out of the carriage, she was directed with the rest of her family towards the platform.

  Her aunt, Queen Murietta, appeared beside her son reaching out to grab the younger girl's hands before pulling her closer into her embrace. She hadn't considered the queen overly close to her, but that was mostly because the royal family was separated in their castle home. Though the young wizard had been to many parties thrown by the king, Annalicia rarely was able to share time with the king and queen without a crowd surrounding them. It made building familial ties difficult to say the least.

  "Annalicia, my dear niece, it is so good to think that not only will Malaiy be represented by our best wizards, but that you, a member of the royal family, will be there to shed the best light on our country," the queen stated loud enough to be heard by the crowd. It wasn't just a greeting of family, but a public statement to excite the people of the city.

  The other wizards stood on the raised platform looking a little uncomfortable. When the queen and prince joined them pulling Annalicia along, the crowd began to cheer. Only the queen raising her hands after a moment silenced them to a murmur.

  "My proud citizens of Malaiy, this is a momentous day! Our wizards join the world in Southwall for a tournament to see who has the best wizards of all. Our men are joined by my niece, Annalicia, one of a few female wizards to prove not only that our men are talented, but our young women as well!"

  A cheer went up especially loud by the women who had gathered. Not everything was exactly equal between the sexes, though Malaiy was fairly liberal in their treatment of both. Having a strong woman to look up to, like Annalicia, was something that could bolster their efforts in giving women an equal chance both in the everyday and business. Their military had a small number of women in it as well, but they were certainly a minority within the assembly.

  "Say a few words, dear," Queen Murietta requested in her ear. Coming from the queen meant that the young wizard had to step up and accept it as an order.

  She raised her hands in a brief wave and cleared her throat. Annalicia began, "My friends, my fellow wizards and I go not just to show up in Southwall, but with the plan to win. We know that our skills in magic rival those of the school in Eirdhen for sure, so Taltan already respects our school as well. Soon the rest of the world will know that Malaiy might not be the largest country in the world, but we have a quality that goes beyond our size.

  "We will win and bring home the glory for you and the rest of Malaiy!"

  Finished with the quickly improvised speech, Annalicia was surprised by the vigorous cheering from the crowd. In an effort to prove that they wouldn't be sending a weak contingent to Southwall, the wizards gave a brief demonstration of their magic. Air, water, earth and fire erupted for the next few minutes with Annalicia finishing the display by creating a pair of dragons.

  An air spell, the wizard used the water nearby to make them easier to see for the crowd. When she finished, the cheers seemed to be loudest for the girl.

  Queen Murietta came closer with the prince just behind her and congratulated the wizards. "You will make us proud, I am sure of it."

  The men took their adulation with smiles on their faces before retreating to the Sea Dragon. A few were there to give them hugs to see them off, but Anna was surprised when the prince placed his hand on her forearm to stop her.

  "If you are as impressive in a duel as you were on stage, cousin, I think that Malaiy will do quite well in Hala," the prince told her still smiling slightly from the display. He was darker in all ways than his younger cousin. His skin was a darker tan, though it was natural and less from standing in the sun. Brown hair and eyes added to the darker look, though only the hair came from his mother the queen.

  "Thank you, my prince," she replied including a brief curtsey. "I will do my best."

  He chuckled at her attempts to show him due respect. A wizard, Annalicia was less used to such things in everyday life. "I am sure that you will, cousin, and you can call me Jeremiah when out of earshot of the others."

  Nodding a little reluctantly, the younger woman questioned something else that she had noticed missing, "Where is Princess Deeanne? I would have thought that she would have joined you two as well."

  Shaking his head, the prince began to escort her after the wizards. Guards moved to surround them at a slight distance, while another contingent had already surrounded the queen who was heading for her carriage ride back to the castle.

  "Deeanne wasn't feeling well. The pregnancy is our first and she has been having morning sickness more than just that time of day," the prince concluded with a slight sigh. She could tell that the husband felt for his wife. Another arranged marriage; his younger bride had appeared a good match, even if there was more politics behind it.

  "I am sorry to hear that. Send her my well wishes then. I hope the healers are keeping a close watch on her to make sure that she remains safe."

  He nodded looking more sober at the thought. "My father has made sure that both the healers and wizards have kept an eye on her. After losing his first wife giving birth to Wylaan, he had each pregnancy for mother and then my sister-in-law, Princess Galina, monitored very closely.

  "I am not certain that it is just familial love as much as a king trying to keep his line intact, but at least he's showing concern in whatever way he can," Prince Jeremiah chuckled though with less humor.

  "The king cares about his family as more than just pieces gathered to solidify his line, I'm sure," the girl responded. Whether it was true or not, it wasn't her opinion to give as anything but positive agreement for the king.

  Shrugging, the prince smiled again and gave her a hand as she stepped onto the base of the plank leading up to the deck of the Sea Dragon. "He does his best, but it is tough being king. I don't relish the thought of being one, so I hope Wylaan and Prince Ordaan live long and well
. I would rather be the helpful brother and uncle than a king."

  "I would rather be a wizard than queen, but there is certainly far less reason for me to worry over that than you," Annalicia said with a smile for the man. "Of course, I wish them both long lives also and to you, cousin."

  "Be safe, Annalicia, and do your best. I am certain that our friends to the north and rivals who send out their wizards will all be impressed with whatever you do."

  After a quick round of hugs from her family on the deck of the Sea Dragon, Annalicia was left with Xerese, the other wizards and the ship's crew as the ship unfurled sails as it pushed away from the docks of Yalan. It would be a long trip, but the wizard was hopeful that they would do as well as she thought that they could.

  Chapter 3- Riposte

  "Maybe they'll sink," the words came from the mouth of a young man leaning against a building watching the fanfare given for the wizards leaving Malaiy.

  "It would save us the time of figuring out whether your cousins will need to be dealt with, but be careful where you wish them anything but the best of luck," an older man draped in a dark red cloak covering his head and shoulders cautioned the younger man.

  "What would they do, throw me into prison for wishing a wizard bad luck?" the dark haired man scoffed in the other's direction. "It wouldn't be the worst thing King Orlaan has done to me."

  "Quiet down, Karlaan, this is hardly the place to air your grievances. There are too many ears that might report you to the king directly. If they were to ever discover your ties to him..."

  "Then you will have to work your magic to dissuade anyone from trying, Caldrefan."

  The second man frowned at Karlaan's audacious words and knew that he truly only had himself to blame for the young man's nature. He had found Karlaan as a boy and known his mother. Their story had drawn him to them, but it had been his agenda which made him think that they could be useful as well.

  As the blue painted Sea Dragon moved away from the dock, the older man looked at the slowly shrinking vision and had to agree that bad luck for the Sea Dragon would serve them better. Malaiy as a whole might say that the loss would be mourned, but he doubted it in truth. Most men and women cared little about wizards who separated themselves from those same people to study arcane spells. Their magic separated them further than even being royal could.

  A normal shopkeeper or dock worker didn't exult in magic, but shied away from it. Caldrefan knew that from his past since the cloaked figure had embraced magic as well. The younger man hadn't meant for Caldrefan's actual spells to save him necessarily, but that of his sphere of influence which continued to grow over time.

  Leaving the docks, the two men were soon flanked by three others looking nondescript for the most part. They were dressed like common men from Malaiy and their darker skin color, brown hair and eyes all made them less unusual in a city full of men that looked much like them.

  People like Annalicia and her immediate family being lighter skinned and mostly blonde were actually rarer in appearance here. Caldrefan also looked at the young wizard and wondered if she was beyond even that bit of rarity. Her hair was so light that one might question if she could be one of those called immortal. His brother had been called immortal at one time, but others had disproved the fact.

  The thoughts of his brother made the man frown slightly, though he quickly made an effort to hide the look.

  Entering through a back alley door, Caldrefan led the others through a series of rooms and down a set of stairs recently created. Traveling underground through a tunnel reinforced by wood and metal beams, which were made more durable by use of magic, the men returned above ground inside of another building. The room wasn't large, though there was a great hall in the same building where the Brothers of the Blood led congregations slowly growing each day.

  "What is your next plan?" Karlaan asked as he watched the men guarding them disappear out into the hall. "The king's brother died like you said he would, but no one made a fuss about it beyond the normal. An old man died, he was a duke and the king's younger brother; but there was no word about foul play. Unless you were just lucky in your guess, I would believe that you had something to do with it."

  Frowning at the younger man who was roughly the same height as he, Caldrefan evaluated Karlaan in his mind. He was the bastard son of King Orlaan. His birth mother had been a servant in the king's castle and had been a beautiful woman; or at least attractive enough to draw Orlaan's attention and advances. It was at a time just before the queen was discovered pregnant with her second child; the king's third, as far as numbers were officially known.

  Caldrefan was uncertain if Orlaan had other bastard children out there, but Karlaan's mother, Yasmin, had found Caldrefan after fleeing Malaiy and proclaimed that her young son was the child of a king. Karlaan was just four years old when the man who would lead the brothers first met him. His mother was still young, but her spirit had been crushed in the few years of survival while putting distance between her and Yalan.

  When the queen had found out about the king's dalliance, she had made him cast Yasmin out of the castle and driven the woman from the capitol city. Her pregnancy hadn't been told to the king according to the young woman, but it was definitely King Orlaan's progeny. By the time she had wandered south and across the border into Tseulty lands she had come to term and given birth in a farmer's barn like some animal.

  Serving where she could as a servant, Yasmin had eked out a living for herself and her infant son. Unable to continue long at any of her jobs thanks to the demands of a baby, the woman had eventually wandered into one of the temples of the brothers. Caldrefan had been there serving as the head of the local temple, though few knew that the order had been founded by the man as well.

  She had become a servant to the temple and drawn his notice much like the king, but Caldrefan had also heard her story and discovered the child following his mother was also the son of a king. It had made him think and change the direction his goals would take him and the brothers.

  Since finding out her secret, Caldrefan had worked on teaching the boy making him both ready to become a king and still serve his interests, but a bastard couldn't simply become king when there was a significant supply of heirs for that throne. That was how they had come to Yalan. One plan had led to another and now they were here.

  "Duke Amaan was an older man. Word has it that his heart simply stopped in his sleep at his castle. I suppose that someone will need to take his title and run that castle some day, unless the king chooses to keep them for himself," Caldrefan replied avoiding taking credit or letting it fall to a single person. That certain poisons were very hard to detect, even with magic, and could kill a man by stopping his heart; was something he knew and certain men serving the order knew that as well.

  That assassins could slip into the Duke's castle and end his life during the dead of night was something few would want to admit, but the right men could make such things happen. Caldrefan knew a few of their type, of course, but he couldn't admit it even to Karlaan. It was a secret that must remain secured and so the head of the local brothers refused to speak of it in particulars with the younger man.

  Grunting dismissively, Karlaan tried again and said, "You have been telling me for most of my life that you could make me king. Has that changed or are you still working on finding a way?"

  Caldrefan looked at the younger man and wanted to call him a boy. It was childish to ask such things and even foolish, but he supposed that broaching such issues should be safe enough here. The private rooms behind the sanctuary were about as secure as any place could be, especially with guards outside in the hall.

  "We can hardly go up to the palace gates and proclaim you king or a prince anyway. Technically even if you wished to join the line of ascension for Malaiy's throne, King Orlaan holds the position. Your half brother, Prince Wylaan is next in line and has a son; then comes the second son, Prince Jeremiah. At best, you would be fourth in line at this point.

&n
bsp; "To become king, you either need a few people to die in front of you or force a coup driving the current king and his family out of power, Karlaan. You tell me what you think needs to happen. What plans would you make?"

  Waving the elder man off, Karlaan replied, "Why would you ask my thoughts when you clearly have a plan set in place? I would only get in the way. If I had to guess, it would be better for me to stand back and just watch.

  "I still wonder why you are even bothering to help me to become king, Caldrefan. What is there in this for you?"

  "Can't I simply wish to right a wrong? You have become dear to me, as has your mother. What this king did to both of you is wrong, so the Brothers of the Blood will do what we can to fix it. King Orlaan should be punished and anything that happens to him or those of his line is completely justified, don't you think?"

  "I think that my father deserves to be taken from his throne and made to walk through the streets for his people to beat until he dies," the younger man stated sitting in an armed chair beside a large table.

  "You don't think that too harsh?" his mentor posed the question like a teacher for his student to learn a lesson.

  "He cheated on his queen and made a servant girl pay for his infidelity. Instead of making sure that she was taken care of, he cast her away to die in the streets. What part of my suggested punishment sounds too harsh for such a man?"

  Caldrefan chuckled at the idea. "So how best to punish a man like this king? That should be our first question to answer.

  "His younger brother, a childless man, died last winter. A general for his armies has been removed from the board. He has another brother and sister with their extended families. Do you think they need to be removed as well or just your siblings?"

  Giving a disgusted sigh at the continued pushing of lessons, Karlaan replied in annoyance, "I don't care how you do it. If they plan to stand in my way because I am a bastard and they believe that they have a stronger claim to the throne; then they need to be removed, killed if necessary."