Chapter 1: The King Of Crade.

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: The King Of Crade.

Once upon a war, there were exciting talks of traitors and executions and dark deeds in the corners of the kingdom, but those days were long gone, and all those happy days with them

These days, instead of executing traitors and banishing rebels , he was handing out gold and listening to rich nobles bitch about how much land they thought they needed, they were such greedy fucks . Today was no exception, a bland and boring day.

It was exhausting watching the overly dressed man prance about, ranting about what Durget would consider his least favorite topic.

His only daughter’s hand in marriage.

This man wasn’t the first suitor, though he was admittedly the most proud, and by his guess, a thorough rejection from his daughter. The crown princess Xena Hector, his daughter more than likely already had her rejection prepared for when the poor man drew breath, Durget pushed away the urge to yawn and straightened his shoulders.

It was tiring.

Although he enjoyed watching the look of disappointed on their face when his daughter shatters their hope bringing them back to reality , the hope of having a queen as a daughter in law...there was only so much flattery he could stomach.

Well the crowd seemed to be swayed, though it was difficult to tell who was in support of this particular match, and who didn’t care . The line up for today was...well bland as always and the audience....a bit much if you’d ask him, it always was when Xena took audiences, Durget could never understand how she got more popular.

a familiar blond-haired officer lingering around one of the nearby side entrances to the throne room. He catches his king’s gaze, bowing his head slightly and fidgeting , expecting to be summoned. Rolling his eyes, Gurdet gestured with one finger, watching the panicked soldier approach his throne.

As soon as he was within earshot, Gurdet let out a dramatic sigh.

"tell me we’re being attacked," he says, bored as ever, as Montrel stiffened , remembering he was a king and his subordinates take everything you say seriously.

"Why would we be getting attacked, your majesty?" Montrel growled, his voice louder than Durget would like it to be, "Should we be expecting an attack?" his hands drifting to his hips gripping his sword ready for an attack. "....Has someone made a threat?" Durget was already regretting jesting about his boredom.

"Lower your voice, Montrel..."

" –It was that bastard Silas, wasn’t it?"

"King Silas, to you, Montrel," Durget sighed rubbing his forehead ignoring the snicker behind his throne , he calms the guard, "...I was merely being melodramatic. Stand down, you’ll cause a scene." He shook his head as Montrel slowly relaxes , nodding as he understood that there was no threat to destroy.

"...And besides..." Durget snickerd a sly smile on his face "Silas would never openly declare war, though he does send the most interesting letters." He chuckles to himself enjoying the look of shock on Montrel’s face at the notion of referring to Silas as interesting.

He looks over his shoulder slightly "In fact, have we heard from him recently, Vogrid?" he asks innocently.

,"...Not since you last asked this morning, your majesty." If He’d been younger, and any less of a royal, Durget might have laughed.

"Such a pity," he says genuinely disappointed. He was about to return to his room when he remembers the blonde guard fidgeting in the hallway.

Montrel did you have some news?" He was already fed up, and he prayed for Xena to hurry up with her rejection spree. "...Something exciting? Movement on the border perhaps? A royal escort? Anything?"

"...Nothing like that, your majesty,"

Montrel says flattery , wandering if the king was mocking him for his previous dramatics. Gurdet simply cocked an eyebrow expectantly. "Oh. We’ve just received word from the western kingdoms...."

" –Was it a letter, or our dear Second Captain’s head in a sack?" Gurdet asked, his expectations dying when Montrel replied it was the former. Good news was good news, he supposed, but rarely of note, these days. "Was that really all?"

"Oh, no, your majesty..." Montrel muttered, slightly irritated, a giveaway to what he was about to say.

"...You lost him again, didn’t you?" Gurdet spared him the shame of having to admit another defeat, his attention was drawn by Xena speaking, watching yet another nobleman get rejected, fighting the urge to stay respectful when they were obviously boiling with anger.

"I don’t understand how he keeps slipping away from us!" Montrel growled through gritted teeth, Gurdet flinching from the volume of his voice, a talented swordsman but lacks delicacy.

"Did you check all his favourite spots?"

"Of course, your majesty," the soldier snorted , "We can’t find him." Durget had the feeling that Montrel definitely had a lot more to say on the matter but nothing he was going to say was appropriate for where they were at the moment. He sighed eyeing the way that flashy nobleman was walking away from the dais in defeat, it seems the princess latest suitor was unsuccessful in winning her heart.

It can’t be helped," he shrugged waving the guard away, "He’ll come out when he’s hungry or something, I’m sure." he was certain he heard the way Montrel teeth grind in frustration, taking his leave to join the guards positioned around the throne room,ready to begin ushering out the crowd at the princess’s word.

Finally, the rejected suitor had left the room to deal with his bruised ego, as murmurs can be heard throught the room. Gurdet rolled his shoulders letting out a sigh of relief that catches the attention of his daughter.

"I take it you’re not engaged yet?" Gurdet say flatly, an eyebrow raised in disapproval watching the nobles whisper and gossip among themselves on the balcony.

The princess gives him a look, eyebrows raised, reminding him they still had an audience,"We’ve been through this, father." she gracefully retorts, She lifted her chin defiantly, smoothing out the creases of her gown before delicately folding her hands in her lap. "I will marry who I wish to marry."

"And who is that, might I ask?" Gurdet inquired wearily, already knowing the answer.she looked at the crowd for a second, with that queenly smile of hers.

"...The man I’m in love with," Xena answered, her nose in the air,patiently waiting to see if any others stepped up to seek an audience with her. Gurdet sighed , rubbing at the crease in his forehead, watching the crowd bicker over the darkening sky outside.

"Well, would you kindly ask him to hurry up and seek your hand in marriage?" Gurdet grumbled knowing fully well no such man existed.

He was beginning to wonder if she was refusing to marry just to spite him.

"Can’t you just pick one?" he muttered,"How was your trip to Makgra? I hear Prince Juzi is....well-bred...?"

"Just because someone is well-bred doesn’t mean I’ll love them!" Xena says rolling her eye. "You were well-bred, after all, father. And mother only settled for you."

"You’re so unkind, sweet daughter," Gurdet sighed mockingly, not phased by her insult. From somewhere behind him, he could hear his attendant, Vogrid, rolling his eyes, poor soul had beared witness to their arguments.

"I want to marry for love," the princess proclaimed, her eyes softening to a dreamy look. All those childhood stories of fantastical romances had put all these silly ideals into her head, making him shudder with irritation.

"Yes, yes, so you’ve said so, many, many times..." he say. "But could you perhaps hurry up about it? Frankly, you should already been married by now..." Most princesses were at least betrothed by sixteen, and here she was, twenty-three and still refusing matches. " And the noble houses are pushing for a royal wedding..."

"...Why does that have to be me?" she says frustrated, looking across the dais to the third throne that sat embarrassingly empty. "I do have a cousin."

"Oh, do you?" Gurdet remarked,sarcastically "I’d completely forgotten, seeing as I haven’t seen him in weeks." He scoffed , looking over his shoulder to see that his attendant was hovering around faithfully and poised as ever. "What about you, Vogrid? When was the last time you saw that useless nephew of mine?"

" Don’t call him that," Xena whispers, looking to see if anyone heard, Gurdet couldn’t resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"...It’s a pet name," he assured her, watching her shake her head. The thunder rumbled , making the crowd restless. The princess elegantly rose to her feet to announce that that would be all for the day, and thus free her obviously bored father from his obligation to act interested.

Thunder growled outside, blackening the one grey sky, rain drizzling , Vogrid continued, in a low, distasteful tone.

"There are Briyagi men outside."

"Briyagi?..." Gurdet mused, brows creasing in surprise "How many?"

"Fo –five, I believe, your majesty." Vogrid says, adjusting his glasses and nodding towards the huge oak door of the throne room. "...They claim to be here by order of their King." The young man might as well have spat the final word, his disdain was clear enough.

"Father?" Xena says warily,concerned by the way her father shifted in his throne, a sly smile on his Face.

"Well, we can’t have Silas hearing we didn’t make his men most welcome, can we?" he says playfully, "I doubt I’d hear the end of it."

"I was under the impression they weren’t welcome here," Vogrid says flatly.

"Oh, they’re not, but we best keep up appearances," Gurdet replied.But then his voice changed to something his daughter and attendant knew was a bad sign, a sign of trouble in the making.

"Send them in."