Mortala: Begin the Machination

>> Seven

>> Viewing unedited preview <<

     The failed assassination attempt of the Queen of Semalion, Empress of the Lattice Empire was announced. The people knew of the gravely injured woman first and foremost, and slowly, more details were revealed to the vehement people: Who the bloody person was, how they got into the castle, how long it took their leader to recover.

What impacted the lands more was the mention of a war. There was word of D'nuages prepping themselves that lit the fuse. The people were holding their breaths for months, wandering when the fight between lovers would begin. Tensions in each village ran high; soldiers were guarded and with orders to keep quiet of any affairs.

Where would the battleground be? Who would strike first? They sat as patiently as civilians could, but with tension came the thirst to know more. With how little information trickled, frustration was beginning to fester.

They wanted to be safe, they didn't want to face devastation and loss. Yes, they knew the queen-empress would keep them safe! She had so much power, it would be impossible for her to lose. But their families, their sons and daughters, brothers and sisters enrolled in the militia had a chance of withering into the afterlife; and the villages closest to D'nuages had the highest chance of being in the crosshairs. They only wanted to know when to prepare.

Yet, most concerned were the people of D'nuages. Living in paranoia, waiting for the first signs of war. They went about their day, an eerie feeling creeping around. Like a shadow, the expectation of death followed. The nights were worse with the creeping mood.

A year had passed since they began prepping and they hadn't---wouldn't stop yet. As winter swiftly approached, worry was suffocating. It felt as if they were piled under the tonnes of snow waiting to fall. They were a people who loved fighting, strength, and triumph. They faced battles head-on, pride in themselves. They went into wars involving stronger opponents with confidence.

With the Lattice Empire, how could they? It would be a waste of life and effort, they knew through that pride that seemed to be their life force. There was a reason the Lattice Empire was one of the longest recorded. To stand a chance against it, they would need to rally as many free lands as they could.

Such a thing would be excruciatingly hard as D'nuages' reputation wasn't tasteful and there weren't many lands on bad terms with the empire. With the other powers that could help (the Batgénial Dynasty or the Shi Empire-- or any of the other two), D'nuages would have to relinquish the land to them. They only did so with the Lattice Empire since the sovereign was getting married to the empress.

Helias would not stand for that. He was too prideful of his kingdom and the people would rather fight alone than join the empires. Even so, living was now heavy and they had no one to blame but their king. They didn't hesitate to point the finger at him, feeding the lack of trust in the monarchy.

"Your Majesty, please calm down!" Zulg pleaded as Helias yanked something that should've been taken care of with respect, now nothing but cloth to destroy. The tapestry collided with the cold ground, the kingdom's crest folding in on itself.

"How can I? I know she's planning her move!" The king seethed, "Any day now! Any time!"

A burning rushed through him, cinching the inside of his head and torso. Arms bulged with hardened, stressed muscles, working to keep as much of his fury inside as possible even as he raged. Many words were at the tip of his tongue, many emotions binding together.

"I know, sire." His confidant said, catching the painting Helias yanked off of the wall. He set it against the overturned stand and continued, "Maybe you should blow off steam a different way, sire. Ruining the palace is unhealthy."