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It had been a couple of days since they had returned, victorious, from the gorge, where they brought up the fires of the Underworld upon the Creed. It was a victory on all accounts; there were few casualties, they had achieved their goal, and they even had captured their leader alive. For the King, it was a marvelous victory - he did as he had promised, as a King should do.
Achilleas had been happy to return to his home, to his lands, to Theo, but, he had refused to see her after they had been welcomed back into the Capitol. There were things that Theo didn't know about Achilleas yet, and he wasn't ready to share them. He wasn't ready to let her see the side of him that came out when he was on the battle field, when he drew his first blood. The hunger that overtook him, the uncontrollable nature of the prowess that the mighty Ares Ares, God Of War had granted him.
He was ashamed of it, of the monster he seemingly became. But he wasn't ashamed of what he became. He was ashamed that he enjoyed it. He relished in it, and he thinks of it as uncontrollable, for he doesn't want to control it. He lets it control him, as if it was the mighty God of War Ares, God Of War himself possessing him. This unquenchable desire deep within him that seemed to drive him from victory to victory was as much something to be thankful of as it was something to be feared. And indeed, he feared it.
It hadn't been that difficult to avoid Theo, as it would turn out. With their success, it meant that the wedding preparations were able to continue, their wedding to follow within the next week or so. As such, she had become busy again, allowing Achilleas time to himself to pull out of the battle fully. The tear away from his blessing, to bury it deep until it was needed again, until he needed it again.
Back in his home in Euttica, he had closed himself in his rooms, refusing to see anyone until he felt sure he was truly himself again. While he doubted more and more who exactly that was, he clung to the persona of the boy that Theo had fallen in love with when they were children. That was who he wanted to be, and that was who he strives to be away from the battlefields he littered with pools of blood and piles of the dead.
Finally, today, he decided to emerge from his rooms, and resume his duties and his life. Almost as soon as he resurfaced, a messenger had arrived from the Capitol, from his father. He wished his audience. It wasn't something he wanted to deal with straight away, but knowing his father, ignorance of his summons would only prove costly in some regard. Achilleas ordered his horse to be readied for his immediate journey to the Capitol to see his father in their family home.
On the ride from Euttica, he had a ample opportunity to contemplate what it was his father wished to speak to him about. It had been somewhat clear to Achilleas of late that his father's concerns about the Kingdom were growing, though he couldn't be sure why. Could it be he didn't think Stephanos a competent ruler? Possibly, but from where Achilleas stood, especially after taking the battle to the Creed, he was doing a pretty darn good job so far.
Arriving at the Mikaelidas family home, his horse was taken and he was guided inside to meet with his father. He was taken to him in his study, where the two were left alone. That in itself was something to cause concern. He hadn't been alone with his father for a fair while, out of pure choice. He would have to keep his wits about him, for whatever his father wanted, it likely had many deep, unseen layers and agendas. He silently prayed to Ares, God Of War Ares for strength in this meeting. "What do you want, Father?"
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JD
Staff Team
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It had been a couple of days since they had returned, victorious, from the gorge, where they brought up the fires of the Underworld upon the Creed. It was a victory on all accounts; there were few casualties, they had achieved their goal, and they even had captured their leader alive. For the King, it was a marvelous victory - he did as he had promised, as a King should do.
Achilleas had been happy to return to his home, to his lands, to Theo, but, he had refused to see her after they had been welcomed back into the Capitol. There were things that Theo didn't know about Achilleas yet, and he wasn't ready to share them. He wasn't ready to let her see the side of him that came out when he was on the battle field, when he drew his first blood. The hunger that overtook him, the uncontrollable nature of the prowess that the mighty Ares Ares, God Of War had granted him.
He was ashamed of it, of the monster he seemingly became. But he wasn't ashamed of what he became. He was ashamed that he enjoyed it. He relished in it, and he thinks of it as uncontrollable, for he doesn't want to control it. He lets it control him, as if it was the mighty God of War Ares, God Of War himself possessing him. This unquenchable desire deep within him that seemed to drive him from victory to victory was as much something to be thankful of as it was something to be feared. And indeed, he feared it.
It hadn't been that difficult to avoid Theo, as it would turn out. With their success, it meant that the wedding preparations were able to continue, their wedding to follow within the next week or so. As such, she had become busy again, allowing Achilleas time to himself to pull out of the battle fully. The tear away from his blessing, to bury it deep until it was needed again, until he needed it again.
Back in his home in Euttica, he had closed himself in his rooms, refusing to see anyone until he felt sure he was truly himself again. While he doubted more and more who exactly that was, he clung to the persona of the boy that Theo had fallen in love with when they were children. That was who he wanted to be, and that was who he strives to be away from the battlefields he littered with pools of blood and piles of the dead.
Finally, today, he decided to emerge from his rooms, and resume his duties and his life. Almost as soon as he resurfaced, a messenger had arrived from the Capitol, from his father. He wished his audience. It wasn't something he wanted to deal with straight away, but knowing his father, ignorance of his summons would only prove costly in some regard. Achilleas ordered his horse to be readied for his immediate journey to the Capitol to see his father in their family home.
On the ride from Euttica, he had a ample opportunity to contemplate what it was his father wished to speak to him about. It had been somewhat clear to Achilleas of late that his father's concerns about the Kingdom were growing, though he couldn't be sure why. Could it be he didn't think Stephanos a competent ruler? Possibly, but from where Achilleas stood, especially after taking the battle to the Creed, he was doing a pretty darn good job so far.
Arriving at the Mikaelidas family home, his horse was taken and he was guided inside to meet with his father. He was taken to him in his study, where the two were left alone. That in itself was something to cause concern. He hadn't been alone with his father for a fair while, out of pure choice. He would have to keep his wits about him, for whatever his father wanted, it likely had many deep, unseen layers and agendas. He silently prayed to Ares, God Of War Ares for strength in this meeting. "What do you want, Father?"
It had been a couple of days since they had returned, victorious, from the gorge, where they brought up the fires of the Underworld upon the Creed. It was a victory on all accounts; there were few casualties, they had achieved their goal, and they even had captured their leader alive. For the King, it was a marvelous victory - he did as he had promised, as a King should do.
Achilleas had been happy to return to his home, to his lands, to Theo, but, he had refused to see her after they had been welcomed back into the Capitol. There were things that Theo didn't know about Achilleas yet, and he wasn't ready to share them. He wasn't ready to let her see the side of him that came out when he was on the battle field, when he drew his first blood. The hunger that overtook him, the uncontrollable nature of the prowess that the mighty Ares Ares, God Of War had granted him.
He was ashamed of it, of the monster he seemingly became. But he wasn't ashamed of what he became. He was ashamed that he enjoyed it. He relished in it, and he thinks of it as uncontrollable, for he doesn't want to control it. He lets it control him, as if it was the mighty God of War Ares, God Of War himself possessing him. This unquenchable desire deep within him that seemed to drive him from victory to victory was as much something to be thankful of as it was something to be feared. And indeed, he feared it.
It hadn't been that difficult to avoid Theo, as it would turn out. With their success, it meant that the wedding preparations were able to continue, their wedding to follow within the next week or so. As such, she had become busy again, allowing Achilleas time to himself to pull out of the battle fully. The tear away from his blessing, to bury it deep until it was needed again, until he needed it again.
Back in his home in Euttica, he had closed himself in his rooms, refusing to see anyone until he felt sure he was truly himself again. While he doubted more and more who exactly that was, he clung to the persona of the boy that Theo had fallen in love with when they were children. That was who he wanted to be, and that was who he strives to be away from the battlefields he littered with pools of blood and piles of the dead.
Finally, today, he decided to emerge from his rooms, and resume his duties and his life. Almost as soon as he resurfaced, a messenger had arrived from the Capitol, from his father. He wished his audience. It wasn't something he wanted to deal with straight away, but knowing his father, ignorance of his summons would only prove costly in some regard. Achilleas ordered his horse to be readied for his immediate journey to the Capitol to see his father in their family home.
On the ride from Euttica, he had a ample opportunity to contemplate what it was his father wished to speak to him about. It had been somewhat clear to Achilleas of late that his father's concerns about the Kingdom were growing, though he couldn't be sure why. Could it be he didn't think Stephanos a competent ruler? Possibly, but from where Achilleas stood, especially after taking the battle to the Creed, he was doing a pretty darn good job so far.
Arriving at the Mikaelidas family home, his horse was taken and he was guided inside to meet with his father. He was taken to him in his study, where the two were left alone. That in itself was something to cause concern. He hadn't been alone with his father for a fair while, out of pure choice. He would have to keep his wits about him, for whatever his father wanted, it likely had many deep, unseen layers and agendas. He silently prayed to Ares, God Of War Ares for strength in this meeting. "What do you want, Father?"
Had it been not too obvious, Irakles suspected that by now, he may have ordered for the extermination of one Stephanos of Mikaelidas. Was it cruel, considering the young King was his nephew? Perhaps. But at this point of his actions, Irakles was willing to do anything to ensure Taengea got a brighter, better future. And Stephanos was the furthest from the best choice to bring his beloved Kingdom to glory. And Irakles had not spent the past fifty years of his life working for that one goal, only to have it slipped away from him at the final second.
He had worked too hard.
The Prince had a plan though. Luckily, he had surrounded himself with like-minded men as he started this crusade to see his dream come to fruition. With his soft-hearted half brother at the helm of the Kingdom, nothing would ever come to play. So he had set off a series of events, that would come to a head soon - as long as he set his game up right. Fotios had been immeasurable in his plans, a friend and right-hand man Irakles had come to count on in the months they had spent drawing up their master plan.
Regardless of how well the plan was though, at the end of the day, he still needed some form of support from the remainder of the court, if only to show that this was no blind grab for power. Afterall, he was aiming for long term plans to come to term, not short term satisfaction. So ever since Stephanos's coronation, Irakles had found himself in talks and sharing meals with various other senators and members of the Taengean nobility. Nikolias of Condos was a far fluke, but he does seem to listen as Irakles would bemoan to him about the fact that his nephew seems to refuse to listen to his advice. For someone who was close to the crown if not for his royal parent being of the wrong gender, the man cares greatly for the monarchy of the Kingdom as well, and Irakles intended to milk that concern for all its worth.
The prince had bypassed the Dimitrou house, knowing that they would likely be loyal to the King, but had informed Meena and trusted Fotios to do the same for Eirini. The two ladies had spread gossip and whispers far and wide of what went on behind doors, be it truth or fabrication. The aim isn't to get the truth out - the aim is simply to get Stephanos deemed as unfit to rule.
As he was, in the elder Mikaelidas's eyes.
His discussions with Nikos of Condos and other barons of other noble houses had come to great favor to, results that had Irakles smiling as he left their point of meeting each time, and the prince had a good feeling for the upcoming Senate meet where he intended to lay it all out on the table. Between garnering votes from the lords, and sending missives to ensure the Creed did as he needed to further implicate Stephanos, he had a good feel about what he wanted to do.
Despite all the work though, he had put this off for last.
He knew his son to be a close friend to his cousin, a fact that Irakles found himself sorely irritated over. Achilleas was someone who... much to his father's frustration, did not hold the ambition that Irakles had hoped he would inherit. Instead, the grown son of his loins, great General as he may be, seemed quite content with his barony of Euttica, and settling as a second to his cousin, not at all wishing to gain a higher position.
It frustrated Irakles. Even Emilios seemed to be up in the airs these days. He had been glad to see that at least both his offsprings had their heads screwed on tight during the day Stephanos led the charge to the gorge holding the Creed, enough so neither of them got killed. But that didn't solve matters.
He gave a deep, hacking cough, grasping the chalice of mulled wine to take a swig, feeling the liquid warm his lungs. Irakles had, in recent days, found his body temperature of a slightly erratic manner, which had the physician coming in to check at the insistence of his mistress. But militant that he was, he waved it away, insisting it was just a minor ailment as the seasons changed, and now sat in a slightly thicker then usual chiton, his back leaning against his chair. Having sent Meena away to get ready for the night's dinner he would be sharing with yet another noble lord, the prince sipped at his mulled wine, until a servant announced the arrival of Achilleas.
Irakles had summoned him by missive, a parchment that was delivered just a few days ago, knowing full well that Achilleas would respond. As he always did.
Turning as the doors opened, the eyes of the elder male levelled on his son as Achilleas entered. With the wedding preparations to ready for his marriage to Theodora of Leventi, Irakles had had little chance to speak with his son, especially as he had been requested by Elise herself to reside within the palace to assist her son with the running of the Kingdom. Even Meena had had to settle for seeing him less, but that did not mean he would shirk his duty as the Head of the House.
"Are wedding preparations well underway, Achilleas? I do not wish to make an enemy of the Leventi's." he murmured first, his deep rumble of a voice as solid as it always was. Standing up from his seat, the man strode towards the two klines situated in a corner of his study, and gestured at one, whilst he took the other right before it. Only when the younger one was well seated, and a servant entered carrying a chalice of Condos's finest wine for him, did the male speak. "I asked you to come to check with you on preparations, but also to ask if you would return to reside here for now. The Queen has asked of me to handle matters of the State, for it seems your cousin is unable to keep up, at the rate he is going. My hands seem to be... quite full with House matters on top of it." Of course, it wasn't the only reason he had asked Achilleas to come, but Irakles knew better then to dive right into the heart of the matter.
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Had it been not too obvious, Irakles suspected that by now, he may have ordered for the extermination of one Stephanos of Mikaelidas. Was it cruel, considering the young King was his nephew? Perhaps. But at this point of his actions, Irakles was willing to do anything to ensure Taengea got a brighter, better future. And Stephanos was the furthest from the best choice to bring his beloved Kingdom to glory. And Irakles had not spent the past fifty years of his life working for that one goal, only to have it slipped away from him at the final second.
He had worked too hard.
The Prince had a plan though. Luckily, he had surrounded himself with like-minded men as he started this crusade to see his dream come to fruition. With his soft-hearted half brother at the helm of the Kingdom, nothing would ever come to play. So he had set off a series of events, that would come to a head soon - as long as he set his game up right. Fotios had been immeasurable in his plans, a friend and right-hand man Irakles had come to count on in the months they had spent drawing up their master plan.
Regardless of how well the plan was though, at the end of the day, he still needed some form of support from the remainder of the court, if only to show that this was no blind grab for power. Afterall, he was aiming for long term plans to come to term, not short term satisfaction. So ever since Stephanos's coronation, Irakles had found himself in talks and sharing meals with various other senators and members of the Taengean nobility. Nikolias of Condos was a far fluke, but he does seem to listen as Irakles would bemoan to him about the fact that his nephew seems to refuse to listen to his advice. For someone who was close to the crown if not for his royal parent being of the wrong gender, the man cares greatly for the monarchy of the Kingdom as well, and Irakles intended to milk that concern for all its worth.
The prince had bypassed the Dimitrou house, knowing that they would likely be loyal to the King, but had informed Meena and trusted Fotios to do the same for Eirini. The two ladies had spread gossip and whispers far and wide of what went on behind doors, be it truth or fabrication. The aim isn't to get the truth out - the aim is simply to get Stephanos deemed as unfit to rule.
As he was, in the elder Mikaelidas's eyes.
His discussions with Nikos of Condos and other barons of other noble houses had come to great favor to, results that had Irakles smiling as he left their point of meeting each time, and the prince had a good feeling for the upcoming Senate meet where he intended to lay it all out on the table. Between garnering votes from the lords, and sending missives to ensure the Creed did as he needed to further implicate Stephanos, he had a good feel about what he wanted to do.
Despite all the work though, he had put this off for last.
He knew his son to be a close friend to his cousin, a fact that Irakles found himself sorely irritated over. Achilleas was someone who... much to his father's frustration, did not hold the ambition that Irakles had hoped he would inherit. Instead, the grown son of his loins, great General as he may be, seemed quite content with his barony of Euttica, and settling as a second to his cousin, not at all wishing to gain a higher position.
It frustrated Irakles. Even Emilios seemed to be up in the airs these days. He had been glad to see that at least both his offsprings had their heads screwed on tight during the day Stephanos led the charge to the gorge holding the Creed, enough so neither of them got killed. But that didn't solve matters.
He gave a deep, hacking cough, grasping the chalice of mulled wine to take a swig, feeling the liquid warm his lungs. Irakles had, in recent days, found his body temperature of a slightly erratic manner, which had the physician coming in to check at the insistence of his mistress. But militant that he was, he waved it away, insisting it was just a minor ailment as the seasons changed, and now sat in a slightly thicker then usual chiton, his back leaning against his chair. Having sent Meena away to get ready for the night's dinner he would be sharing with yet another noble lord, the prince sipped at his mulled wine, until a servant announced the arrival of Achilleas.
Irakles had summoned him by missive, a parchment that was delivered just a few days ago, knowing full well that Achilleas would respond. As he always did.
Turning as the doors opened, the eyes of the elder male levelled on his son as Achilleas entered. With the wedding preparations to ready for his marriage to Theodora of Leventi, Irakles had had little chance to speak with his son, especially as he had been requested by Elise herself to reside within the palace to assist her son with the running of the Kingdom. Even Meena had had to settle for seeing him less, but that did not mean he would shirk his duty as the Head of the House.
"Are wedding preparations well underway, Achilleas? I do not wish to make an enemy of the Leventi's." he murmured first, his deep rumble of a voice as solid as it always was. Standing up from his seat, the man strode towards the two klines situated in a corner of his study, and gestured at one, whilst he took the other right before it. Only when the younger one was well seated, and a servant entered carrying a chalice of Condos's finest wine for him, did the male speak. "I asked you to come to check with you on preparations, but also to ask if you would return to reside here for now. The Queen has asked of me to handle matters of the State, for it seems your cousin is unable to keep up, at the rate he is going. My hands seem to be... quite full with House matters on top of it." Of course, it wasn't the only reason he had asked Achilleas to come, but Irakles knew better then to dive right into the heart of the matter.
Had it been not too obvious, Irakles suspected that by now, he may have ordered for the extermination of one Stephanos of Mikaelidas. Was it cruel, considering the young King was his nephew? Perhaps. But at this point of his actions, Irakles was willing to do anything to ensure Taengea got a brighter, better future. And Stephanos was the furthest from the best choice to bring his beloved Kingdom to glory. And Irakles had not spent the past fifty years of his life working for that one goal, only to have it slipped away from him at the final second.
He had worked too hard.
The Prince had a plan though. Luckily, he had surrounded himself with like-minded men as he started this crusade to see his dream come to fruition. With his soft-hearted half brother at the helm of the Kingdom, nothing would ever come to play. So he had set off a series of events, that would come to a head soon - as long as he set his game up right. Fotios had been immeasurable in his plans, a friend and right-hand man Irakles had come to count on in the months they had spent drawing up their master plan.
Regardless of how well the plan was though, at the end of the day, he still needed some form of support from the remainder of the court, if only to show that this was no blind grab for power. Afterall, he was aiming for long term plans to come to term, not short term satisfaction. So ever since Stephanos's coronation, Irakles had found himself in talks and sharing meals with various other senators and members of the Taengean nobility. Nikolias of Condos was a far fluke, but he does seem to listen as Irakles would bemoan to him about the fact that his nephew seems to refuse to listen to his advice. For someone who was close to the crown if not for his royal parent being of the wrong gender, the man cares greatly for the monarchy of the Kingdom as well, and Irakles intended to milk that concern for all its worth.
The prince had bypassed the Dimitrou house, knowing that they would likely be loyal to the King, but had informed Meena and trusted Fotios to do the same for Eirini. The two ladies had spread gossip and whispers far and wide of what went on behind doors, be it truth or fabrication. The aim isn't to get the truth out - the aim is simply to get Stephanos deemed as unfit to rule.
As he was, in the elder Mikaelidas's eyes.
His discussions with Nikos of Condos and other barons of other noble houses had come to great favor to, results that had Irakles smiling as he left their point of meeting each time, and the prince had a good feeling for the upcoming Senate meet where he intended to lay it all out on the table. Between garnering votes from the lords, and sending missives to ensure the Creed did as he needed to further implicate Stephanos, he had a good feel about what he wanted to do.
Despite all the work though, he had put this off for last.
He knew his son to be a close friend to his cousin, a fact that Irakles found himself sorely irritated over. Achilleas was someone who... much to his father's frustration, did not hold the ambition that Irakles had hoped he would inherit. Instead, the grown son of his loins, great General as he may be, seemed quite content with his barony of Euttica, and settling as a second to his cousin, not at all wishing to gain a higher position.
It frustrated Irakles. Even Emilios seemed to be up in the airs these days. He had been glad to see that at least both his offsprings had their heads screwed on tight during the day Stephanos led the charge to the gorge holding the Creed, enough so neither of them got killed. But that didn't solve matters.
He gave a deep, hacking cough, grasping the chalice of mulled wine to take a swig, feeling the liquid warm his lungs. Irakles had, in recent days, found his body temperature of a slightly erratic manner, which had the physician coming in to check at the insistence of his mistress. But militant that he was, he waved it away, insisting it was just a minor ailment as the seasons changed, and now sat in a slightly thicker then usual chiton, his back leaning against his chair. Having sent Meena away to get ready for the night's dinner he would be sharing with yet another noble lord, the prince sipped at his mulled wine, until a servant announced the arrival of Achilleas.
Irakles had summoned him by missive, a parchment that was delivered just a few days ago, knowing full well that Achilleas would respond. As he always did.
Turning as the doors opened, the eyes of the elder male levelled on his son as Achilleas entered. With the wedding preparations to ready for his marriage to Theodora of Leventi, Irakles had had little chance to speak with his son, especially as he had been requested by Elise herself to reside within the palace to assist her son with the running of the Kingdom. Even Meena had had to settle for seeing him less, but that did not mean he would shirk his duty as the Head of the House.
"Are wedding preparations well underway, Achilleas? I do not wish to make an enemy of the Leventi's." he murmured first, his deep rumble of a voice as solid as it always was. Standing up from his seat, the man strode towards the two klines situated in a corner of his study, and gestured at one, whilst he took the other right before it. Only when the younger one was well seated, and a servant entered carrying a chalice of Condos's finest wine for him, did the male speak. "I asked you to come to check with you on preparations, but also to ask if you would return to reside here for now. The Queen has asked of me to handle matters of the State, for it seems your cousin is unable to keep up, at the rate he is going. My hands seem to be... quite full with House matters on top of it." Of course, it wasn't the only reason he had asked Achilleas to come, but Irakles knew better then to dive right into the heart of the matter.
