Chapter 38: Portents of the Future

Cecilia hummed happily as she poured herself a glass of wine. It’s been so long since she had a nice vintage. She always enjoyed the fruitier sweet wines as a child, they weren’t that strong since they were made for women. They also made her giggly and bubbly after a glass or two. Now that she was older, she wondered if she could handle the stronger stuff. But still this ten year old fruit wine was still a welcome treat. It was even the favorite vintage she would taste once in a while as she grew up.

It was a gift from the knight commander during their second meeting. It was quite sweet that he remembered what she liked even after four years. Honestly she was feeling a little lonely, she missed having her friend around. It was nice to have someone you would talk to, someone who didn’t see the crown or the prophecy. He spoke to her as if she was just another person you plucked off the street.

To be able to speak your mind, no protocol, no grand political game in the background. Just two individuals speaking their minds. It was quite liberating honestly. She could be her true self, no need to pretend to be anything. She had no inclinations to betray her friend, after all she wasn’t a complete imbecile.

He could kill her easily now, or at least since she last saw him. He had a tendency to return from his trips with a significant boost in power. She could only imagine what power he had stolen this time. What’s more it was in his best interest to work with her and she had no problem if one day she would answer to him. Most royals would balk at the thought but if she was anything, she was pragmatic.

There is always a bigger fish in the pond, it just depends on how big the pond was. Afterall it was better to answer to a friend rather than a tyrant. She would rather work under her friend than under the tyrannical wings of the seraphim any day. He afterall does not have the common failings that most creatures possess. For starters he doesn’t really have an ego, and is pragmatic to the extreme.

It is theorised by scholars and beastiarians that the ego is just a way for creatures to showcase their power to others. There was a need to impress who the creature thought they were onto others. It creates a power dynamic and it can serve to amplify perceived power when used correctly.

But for the Firstborn?

There was no need for that. They could read each other’s strength at a glance, they all knew exactly where they stood relative to each other. Any Firstborn trying to bite off more than they could chew would find themselves as a meal to their fellows soon enough.

Why lie? Why deceive? When the truth is laid bare at a glance?

Why do you need a poker face when the cards of every player are flat on the table for all to see?

As Cecilia took a sip of her wine and savoured the fruity and nutty taste on her palate, she couldn’t help but find her mind go to that ancient time. A time when civilisation would be seen as a tool of the weak. One stood alone, and stood strong alone. A time where might makes right or perhaps right and wrong had no meaning back then. It was just who lived and who died.

To say her friend was made to exist in a different time would be an understatement. So one could say Cecilia was very curious to see how he will behave in the world today. It is a different world with different rules, a world where the fall of a Firstborn was precedent.

Cecilia knew her prophecy meant she would change something, something big.

The truth the world has tried to forget…

It was definitely vague considering she had no idea what that truth was…

But with her friend now walking the world and him being the one that freed her to begin the prophecy... She couldn’t help but think it had something to do with the Firstborn…

But what could it be? Survival of the fittest? That seemed too easy…

The powerful prophecies were always vague and held a deeper meaning within them.

Cecilia has been pondering this question ever since she was freed from that infernal prison. Yet she found herself no closer to the truth. If she was to get a leg up on this prophecy she would need to observe her friend closely. He may not have ever lived amongst his kin but there were always the little details there that spoke of his ancient heritage…

Cecilia shook her head and cleared her thoughts. Well she wouldn’t get her answer with him gone. She was a little worried at first when he said he was leaving. What if something happened? Well at least for now everything was going perfectly to script. She just got news that her father had forced himself on Lily. Now with any luck her traitorous brother will skewer her father for her.

Sarana did some digging at her behest. Her brother had coveted the throne and whispered in her father’s ear to get her locked up in that prison. Oh how she would have her vengeance, by the time Cecilia was done with him he would beg her to kill him...

Ah what a wonderful mental image…

Well she just had to wait for her dear friend to get back. He’s been gone for almost two weeks now so Cecilia was sure he would be back with many new tricks up his sleeve. She just hoped it wasn’t something too big that he would have no need for her…

She afterall had no idea if the Firstborn were even capable of being attached to others emotionally….

As Cecilia finished her glass and let out a small sigh, well she would find out eventually...

She should probably take a bath now...

She had just finished pleasuring herself and she was covered in sweat. Well it was another plus of being alone with a monster, she could do whatever she wanted to herself whenever she wanted. Even when he came in when she was stark naked with her toy or Lily between her legs he just calmly greeted her and went into his favourite corner of the room to read. If you base it on his reaction she might as well have been eating lunch or something. From what she could tell he just viewed it as one of the many needs that humans have.

As for what the future holds, Cecilia knew only one thing. There are big things coming, she knows she is looking at the end of an era, maybe even an age. With a prophecy like that, the Syndicate on the move and a Firstborn loose in the world, who knows what else is happening in the shadows? Maybe the demons are on the move? The heroes of old? The old tales said many things, towards the end of the War in Heaven many of the great heroes didn’t die, they just wandered off and disappeared. Heaven tried as they might just couldn’t get them all, or even get the most powerful ones. They killed a lot of chaff but none of the wolves.

So many old names, so many larger than life characters, their sagas told around crackling fires…

Could they still be alive? Heroes tended to have long lifespans that far outreached their races' typical lives.

There is Mahaila the Swift who was trained by The Blade himself. The Blade... a legendary figure who was of a long dead race that towered three meters tall and resembled anthropomorphic pigs. The Blade who fought with a one handed sword style, unheard of for most warriors as it often made more sense to use a shield, dual wield or use a two handed weapon. The free hand after all lended little advantage beyond grapples and unarmed techniques, but The Blade was devastating with that style thanks to his immense strength and speed. The Blade who killed the Lord of Dreams. The Blade who was in turn killed in that great battle. If she recalled correctly Mahaila his apprentice was about… 100 000 years old approximately, give or take a few millennia. But then again that was only when the records began she was most likely older.

Then there is the King Crow or Crow Father depending on who is telling the story. He is perhaps the oldest of the heroes, records of him dating back even before the War in Heaven during the First Conflict more than a million years ago. He was apparently a good friend of The Blade and some of the other heroes of that time.

There are other figures as well, less well known ones, or perhaps simply those that have less records. The Ender Knight bearer of a soul of blackest night and the Furtive Vulpus who was and is worshipped as a god by the Vulpine on the eastern continent.

But that whole worship part was not that impressive when one considers Mahaila was also a figure that has achieved deific status amongst the Lizardkin, being worshipped as a goddess of war and marital valour. Not that surprising considering she was supposedly a Draconian, the ancient precursor to the Lizardkin.

These figures as far as she knew predated even the Syndicate.

Well if any of them are alive and still kicking around she’ll find out soon enough. Lots of blood in the water has a tendency to draw out the really big sharks…

But as it stands everything was going fine, she was only a few steps away from getting her throne, she wondered what other interesting events will be thrown her way by the time her little life story is over...

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.♚.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

Maria sat in her bed silently as she held the sheets up to her bare chest. Her head was lowered slightly and she tried to ignore the soreness and wetness between her legs. Most of all she tried to ignore the vile repulsive man putting on his clothes in front of her bed.

This man, Crown Prince Silas Tralis the first, decorated military commander, master duelist, breaker of the Beryl Line and lecherous pig…

The war had died down for a period after the successful assault on the Beryl Line; the door to Beralis was now open. But now both armies were exhausted both in terms of strength and equipment. The city states lacked the resources to maintain sustained warfare for too long, in large pitched battles alot of equipment tends to be destroyed so often a few weeks were required for the armies to recuperate after major clashes. Such is the price of a fragmented continent.

So now during this lull the Great Conqueror has returned to Averlin to make an announcement. Maria Averlin once was to be Prince Silas’s bride; she had sold herself to Tralis for the safety of her nation. But with Beralis’s great Beryl Line now in tatters, Tralis was now set to annex and defeat their longtime rival and become the preeminent power in the region.

Now the only thing left for them to do was to recover and push for victory before the snows arrive. Even if winter comes the invasion would only be delayed. Prince Silas has made sure to advance far enough into Beralis to seize their agricultural heart. So after winter is over Tralis will just need to march on a demoralised and hungry Beralis.

With such a victory on the horizon, why should a great conqueror like Prince Silas settle for someone like Maria? Why should a soon to be prince turned emperor limit himself to a princess from a small nation like Averlin?

So the victorious prince, drunk on his victory, has journeyed to Averlin to make a grand announcement and to deepen Maria’s humiliation. She was not to be a queen, she was to be relegated as a concubine in Prince Silas’s harem. The original deal was for her to marry Prince Silas and then Averlin will integrate into Tralis.

But now the arrangement was Maria would be relegated to a concubine and Averlin would submit and integrate anyway. It’s not like Maria’s tiny nation could stand against the might of an ascendant Tralis…

Maria couldn’t ask for help, her sister nation of Averlon couldn’t help her. She had heard from her spymaster that there was a new monster loose in the forest north of Averlon. From what she heard the Beastarians had no idea what it was and adventurers were dying in the dozens on the hunt.

There was no way her sister nation was willing to march to war for them with a new monster in their backyard…

The successor kingdoms of the now dead Volerian Empire, Boria , Vororia, Jaria and Veria all continue to squabble amongst themselves. It seems all they are interested in is fortifying their own borders. Chances are they won’t act until the usurper nation of Tralis is ready to kick down their door. By then it might be too late…

The successor kingdoms have focused too much on trade and their militaries are lacking, all of them relied on their flimsy defence treaties with each other for security.

Marina to their south will most likely attempt to form an alliance with the likes of Averlon, Arune, Istland and Cathay to contest Tralis if they do turn their gaze south. Afterall on the march south Tralis will meet the borders of Marina first at the Elysian Gate. If they could put aside their differences long enough to form the alliance in the first place…

That plan had no place for Averlin as far as she knew the other nations were treating Averlin like it was part of Tralis already. The ambassadors left in Averlin were all the lesser ones just here to get some court experience. The better ambassadors have all been sent to Tralis…

“Well that was nice, when I wipe Beralis off the map I’ll move you to Tralis. Then we can do this every day. I look forward to introducing you to my new toy, you’ll like her, she's a redhead like you, she’s not as tight as you but she has bigger tits. She was some mage that tried to fight us when we advanced past the Beryl Line. She’s tranquil now, so she’s a great toy, mages can be troublesome.” Prince Silas said with a laugh as he turned around now with most of his clothes back on.

Maria didn’t answer, she just quietly looked down, this man won’t stop until his harem is filled with every beautiful maiden in the world.

“I’m talking to you.” Prince Silas said as his eyes narrowed slightly at her lack of response.

“I look forward to the day your highness…” Maria replied softly.

Maria stiffened as she saw him approach her and she instinctively flinched and held the sheets closer to her body.

“You really are a dull woman, I should make you walk my palace nude and on a leash to get it into your head…” Prince Silas said as he marched over and tore the sheets off Maria revealing her bare body.

Maria instinctively tried to cover herself with her hands and she found the Prince’s hands at her throat.

“You belong to me, do you understand?” Prince Silas said softly.

“Yes…” Maria whimpered in response as she felt her eyes grow hot with fresh tears.

“Good…” Prince Silas said Maria felt his hand tighten around her throat. She opened her mouth in a gasp and she felt her head being yanked forward. Next thing she felt was his tongue in her mouth, she gagged as his hand tightened and he shoved his tongue deeper into her mouth.

Then in an instant he shoved her head back and she fell back onto the bed. Maria raised her head back as she gasped for breath.

“Do you know why I like you redheads?” Prince Silas asked with a lecherous grin.

Maria just looked at him tearfully and shook her head.

“Because of this.” Prince Silas said as he opened her legs revealing her red swollen nethers and red bush.

“Your bush matches what your hole looks like when I’m done with you.” Prince Silas said with a laugh as he stood up.

“You know it’s a pity that Averlon Princess died. I heard she had a bosom as big as yours when she was fourteen winters old.” Prince Silas said as he looked at her small petite chest.

“Ah imagine how her body would have been when she came of age. I would have loved to enjoy both of you at the same time.” Prince Silas laughed crudely as grabbed his overcoat.

“Well I’ll be back after I kill the Beralis royal line, then you can move to Tralis and we can do this everyday.” Prince Silas said as he walked towards the door and without a backwards glance he left the room leaving her behind like a common whore.

As soon as he left Maria saw the door open again and her handmaidens all came in their eyes filled with concern.

“Princess are you alright?” one of her handmaidens said.

“I’m fine… draw me a bath…” Maria replied softly.

Maria gingerly got off the bed trying to ignore the throbbing between her legs. That brute liked pain, he only gave her a potion that stopped pregnancies, no royal wanted bastards afterall. He did nothing for her to make the experience more tolerable. He liked to hear her scream and sob during the act…

Not surprising, House Tralis was called the usurper house for a reason. Their line was born from a mercenary’s rebellion. A nameless mercenary usurped the rightful ruler of Tralis and took their house name for his own a hundred years ago. The stories still spoke of how he and his mercenary company raped their way through the nobility forcing the ladies of the court to give birth to their heirs, who would then take their place. At least it was a quick way to get your officers instated as nobility, even if crude and alienating to the other nations.

He then switched the royal guard and his knight core with his own men to secure his hold on the nation’s military. All the dissenting knights were executed, a few caved and decided to serve the new ruler. Their name was like mud in the eyes of the other royal families, synonyms with bandits made kings. The Tralis’s royal line even had a tradition of collecting beautiful maidens and creating a vast harem. Brutes and scoundrels all of them but Maria supposed she should count herself lucky.

Prince Salis’s father, the current aging king of Tralis had a reputation for beating his partners. At least his son didn’t like too many marks on his toys so he never touched her face or womanly bits. The most he did was slap her rear or choke her…

Some of his father’s concubines have ended up dead…

When Maria got a look at herself in the mirror she felt another fresh wave of tears. Her red hair was a mess and her red eyes held a dull gaze. Her mascara was streaked from her tears and she looked utterly defeated. In the back of her mind Maria wondered how long before she was truly broken by the Prince…

She could only hope her sister nation and the other states of the south could defeat Tralis. If Averlon couldn’t deal with the monster at least it would become Tralis’s problem. Maybe Prince Silas will confuse human conquest and monster hunting…

Maybe he’ll end up as it’s lunch...