Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 71: House council

1014 AF Seedmonth

Day 75

Arial entered the Whitetree castle gates after defeating their troops.

Their men bent their knees, their knights swore their loyalty, and the castle gates were opened for Arial and his troops.

His knights were merry after winning their battle in the south, but Arial had expected nothing less.

His leadership won the praise of his soldiers and the victory after victory that he had won increases their confidence of their young lord

He had traveled south to receive the loyalty of its nobles, by any means necessary, and he was not about to leave without it.

Bend the knee or perish!

Before the war had started many of his men had been unconvinced that a young boy could lead an army, but their opinions had changed and their faith in Arial was solid.

He had proven time and again that he could prevail in battle, and the common folk had greeted them with fear that they would be raided or robbed when he first enters the castle.

The dragon banners replace the banner of the black tree behind a white background.

Arial had given his men strict orders. There would be no pillaging, no unnecessary killing, no raping, or they would meet the sharp side of his sword.

Those who tries to test that rule have all meet his steel, their blood whet the edges of his sword no matter their rank

Arial entered the magnificent dining room.

The Whitetree's really did care for their castle.

He continued to the grand hall, where he would assemble the House Council, an office he had created for his own noble house. No other houses had such a council.

They assisted Arial in determining policies, planning their next moves in battle, their finances and matters of the law.

The House Council had helped his family to remain powerful as it organizes his family matters effectively.

Who would have thought that a farmer's son would become the son of a Duke, of a great house? thought Arial.

He certainly hadn't.

His initial quest to save humanity had led him there at first, he had just wanted his father to have more money.

He hadn't realized his family would change.

His father had become very good with people, whereas his mother had shown herself to be crafty and, Arial struggled to admit it, manipulative.

But he could feel the fierce love from his mother's heart.

He still remembers how his mother wanted to hire all the sellsword of Asteros when she heard that the Palais wanted to remove her husband from power and harm her family.

Arial trace his hand across the long dining table he passes by.

The table was long and has carved solid wood with the design showing a tree blooming with some colors mostly white and in the wall the white wallpapers is still intact.

On the walls is gilded mirrors.

Arial keep walking and he saw torches were used to light the interiors of Great Hall.

There are fireplaces with chimneys. Arial cleaned himself using the lavers (stone basins used for washing) before entering the Great Hall

Arial then stepped into the Grand hall, his feet bouncing on plush Renasian carpet.

The smell of sweet herbs lifted his thoughts, lavender, chamomile and rose petals, daisies and fennel.

Probably they were added were added to disguise the bad smells of the castles which were prevalent due to the inadequate plumbing systems

Tapestries and shields hung from the white walls.

Different colored paints were used in considerable quantities most of it was a white paint

A white tree motif. In his House castle, the paint is red and black. In Dragon Fort, which used to be one of Henry Palais castle, the color is golden.

Arial sat down in the chair of the deceased Lord Whitetree. The rest of the family were either dead or in prison.

Stubborn lot, thought Arial, if they had just bent their knees, they wouldn't have had to perish.

Now there was only the Blackton left, and Arial had sent letters demanding their surrender. If they surrendered, they would be spared.

If not, they would meet the same fate as the Whitetree.

Arial wasn't fond of making threats, but he needed to end the war swiftly. As he sits there he is also thinking of Helia and Helve.

By now they must have reached SeaWorth. Helve would surely call upon his banner and bring his troops to meet him later.

For now, he and his troops rest here in Whitetree castle.

As he stayed in the Whitetree castle he received letters from the other southern lords, swearing their loyalty to the throne.and him

As the Lord Protector of both South and East, it is only right they swear fealty to his family.

The East has always been his family territory, but the South belongs to the Althea family.

Maybe after he marry Helia, he will give the title back to the House of Althea which also still means his family is still the Lord Protector of both regions.

He waited and the council members eventually met Arial in the hall, to discuss their next move.

There is his counselor, who chaired the House Council, his spymaster, who was the chief intelligence supervising covert activities, his Chief Treasurer and his Lawkeeper, his legal advisor and etiquette all gathered around him, with Knight Commander Sir Massey, leader of all the knights under his family's employ.

He is also the Knight Commander of his House. He has proven himself to be a capable knight and have acute sense of strategies, and also lead Arial men to victorious battle.

And then there is the bishop and priest who make up the Ecclesiastics.

Tonight there is only one important matter to discuss. The Blacktons.

Once they had defeated the Blacktons, Arial believed there would be no more threats from the south.

Then they could return to the East to rest before they began planning their next move. And he still did not forget his initial goal

The Great War between humans and the Demonkind.

He would first need to forge a relationship with the people of the Vern Empire, since in his first timeline it was their Emperor who was to blame for the murder of the Demon King's bride.

Then Arial also need to send some diplomatic mission with the Dark Lands, probably the first time of its kind since Emperor George the Wise, for a peace talk.

Even though there is no war against them and the Dark Lands for so many years, hundreds of years now, he knows what will happen.

The Bleeding Wall wouldn't always protect them; he needed to create the bond of peace. War was not always the answer.

Of course if a war broke out, Arial would pick up his sword and he will fight to his dying breath

But wouldn't it be good for war not to break out at all? Wasn't it better for him if he could prevent the war from happening at all?

Arial had decided that after he return to the East he will strengthen the defense in the Bleeding Wall, and let the King fight his own battle.

Now that history in his side, then it is very likely Adrian can win this war by himself. Even the condition for Adrian victory has changed.

Before he has no strong allies, and he was decimated in the span of two weeks. But now?

Now he is a King, approved by the other nobles and other Kingdoms and he control the South, East and West.

The only place we have no foothold yet is the North. But the Invasion takes priority in Arial mind. Three more years.

Arial knew he need to concentrate his force if the Dark Lands really wanted to invade.

Maybe a pilgrimage to the Blessed Lands and then he would go to Arakath himself to assess the situation and gain more information about the Dark Lands.

He had already heard that the young prince Azrael will be crowned next year.

He is the one that Arial need to meet. Below him his House Council is still debating while outside the wind of spring has come to this turbulent period.

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