Tethered: Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Gracidza

Queen Rena was clear in her proposal to the Prince. She has  plans for Halafeven, and if he refuses her request for marriage, she  will conquer Gracidza by force. The Queen was many things, but a liar  she was not.

- 8 Months after the Fall of South Heyon-

Princess  Camilia had just arrived at Sunkani castle, under the pretense of  paying her respects to the recently deceased Queen of Gracidza. She and  her three guards had only just exited their carriage when they heard a  tall woman shout.

“Princess Camilia Lantoft!”

The red haired woman wore armor engraved with the Sunkani family sigil and carried an absurdly large sword on her back. She walked towards them  with an unpleasant look on her face and did not bow upon reaching the  princess, nor did she bother to introduce herself. They locked eyes, but  the princess remained silent and composed.

After a few moments, “Follow me” the red haired knight said bluntly.

Camillia  was not offended; the woman's brashness was similar to that of Rena. "A  much older Rena" Camilia added to her thoughts, as she and the three  guards followed the rude woman.

Unlike her Queen sister, Princess Camillia was polite, well spoken, and had the social  tact needed for politics. She did not enjoy solving her problems by the  sword, and was hoping Prince Ekun would accept the proposal she had brought on behalf of Rena.

As young as Camillia is, she had already fought beside Rena in the 2nd South Heyon war. It took them about 8  months to take South Heyon, and the princess detested every minute of  it. Camilia had no interest in sieges or war tactics. She was more fond  of communing with the young nobles of her kingdom, most of whom adored  her. The princess was not a legendary swordswoman like her sister, but  she was still a capable warrior by any standard. More importantly, she  was a princess of what is now considered the most powerful nation in  Halafeven.

Queen Rena had offered Camilia the rule of South Heyon, but the princess refused immediately. Heyonians  were stuck in the old ways. They still followed the old Tahtuvatra  Dharma and the social constraints of their religion applied to all,  including the nobles. Camilia had seen enough workings of Heyon society  over the months; it evaporated any desire she had to rule there. A  foreign ruler who doesn't conform to the ways of Tahtu would surely  invite a rebellion, sooner or later. The princess wanted no part of it.

Here is Camilia in another land once ruled by Tahtuvatra tradition. Although the last true Vatra priests and priestesses here left their earth bodies around 800 years ago. On her journey to the capital, Camilia had  seen ancient temples of Tahtu that still exist in older parts of the  country. Apparently, the Late King Ruka spent much of his last days  trying to restore and preserve them. “waste of time” was what went  through Camilia’s mind when she heard about King Ruka’s efforts..

Society  in Gracidza however, much to the delight of Princess Camilia, had moved  on from old religions. She had already dined with a few young lords  along the way to the capital. The locals had seen all manner of  travelers due to the untimely death of their queen, but a Tanelian  princess in fine Zwen armor was a first for most.

Unimpressed  with Camillia however, was the rude woman, Captain Tulla of the Royal  Guard. During their walk to the Royal Hall, the captain provided her  name, but was otherwise curt with the Princess' attempts at small talk.

This  irked Helenia, one of Camelia's knights, to no end; though she bit her  tongue for now. The princess had commanded the three of them to be  cordial upon arrival.

Upon reaching the Hall,  Camilia’s knights were asked to wait outside with the doorkeepers.  Helenia had enough rudeness at this point, and was about to protest when  she heard the princess speak, “As you wish, Captain”.

Camelia  looked unperturbed as she removed any possibility of conflict. She was  asked to leave her sword outside the Royal Hall with the Door Keepers.

As the large doors of the Royal Hall opened, the Princess looked inside  and instantly noticed how much it resembled the Royal Hall in Heyon.  Tahtu architecture seems to still be popular in Gracidza. However,  thankfully, instead of a strong smell of incense, there was the sweet  smell of Gracidzi wine. “Ruling here wouldn't be so bad” she thought,  adding "If negotiations don't work out that is."

A  long dining table was set up starting half way through the Royal Hall,  and at the end of it were Prince Ekun and his kid brother, seemingly  awaiting the Princess’ arrival.

As the two women approached Prince Ekun, Captain Tulla prepared to speak but was  interrupted by Camilia. “My deepest condolences for your loss King Ekun”  she said, as she kneeled and bowed her head.

After  a brief silence, Ekun corrected the princess “I haven't been crowned  yet”. His voice was soft but his tone was serious. Camilia remained  still. With her head still bowed, she noticed the blue engravings on her  consecrated Zwen armor, which had started to glow in the presence of  the prince. The prince was said to carry strong Kwa in his heart, just  as many Sunkani men did before him. Rena would be pleased; Camillia had  confirmed that the prospective suitor held what the Lantofts wanted  most.

The Lantofts were rulers of Tanel, and one  of the most powerful families in Halafeven. Ru was always strong in  Lantoft blood. Princesses in the family would start training for combat  at an early age. They were expected to have mastered Ru energy in their  bodies by age 15 along with the Way of the Sword. Upon passing their  trials, they were awarded consecrated Zwen armor. The rare armor, if  made well enough, could negate any Ru or Kwa essence thrown at it. Rare,  because secrets to armor consecration were only known to ancient Lantofts, and required a powerful Kwa holder to conduct the procedure.  The process was diluted over hundreds of years, as people slowly forgot  the old rituals. The latest of consecrations started to take the life of  the Kwa imbuer, or at the very least, leave the body near death. Death  would often complete its journey not long after for those who survived.  The last Zwen armor of Tanel was created over 60 years ago, and the  consecration ritual is all but lost now. Many Lantofts lives were  forfeited to create the near perfect Zwen armor that Rena and Camillia  wear today, passed down to them by their ancestors.

“Pour  some wine for the Princess” Ekun said, looking over to a servant. He  pulled out the seat to his right, holding it for the princess and in the  same distant tone from before said,

“please princess... you’ve come a long way”.

Princess  Camilia who was still kneeling, finally rose and started approaching  the Prince, with Captain Tulla walking close behind her. Camillia  understood the wariness of the captain. She was a princess from a  strange land; a land whose Zwen stones have been slowly dying for a  hundred years, and whose Queen seems to be forcefully conquering lands  rich with it.

As she approached the table, Anhat, the prince’s younger brother finally spoke.

“Welcome  to the capital Princess Camillia” said the young boy. The boy was  nervous, but tried to say the words calmly to impress the princess.

Camilia  was indeed pleased by the well mannered young prince, he was a welcome  contrast to the rude captain and the forced hospitality of Prince Ekun.  She stopped in front of the boy, kneeled and took his hand. “Thank you  my prince.. a pleasure” she said, kissing the boy's hand playfully.  Anhat blushed and averted his eyes from Camilia's, looking up to his  brother for guidance.

Prince Ekun almost smiled,  but the captain was not amused. The three Royals took their seats. Captain Tulla positioned herself not far behind Ekun. The Prince was  still getting used to sitting at the head of the table, which  traditionally is where the Queen sits.  But both the Queen and King of  Gracidza are no longer in their Earthly bodies, so the seat now belongs to the eldest child.

3 additional Royal guards were already standing not far behind Tulla, seems the captain wasn’t taking any chances tonight.

Tulla,  like most people of Gracidza, was devoted to the Royal family.  Gracidzis believed that the strong Kwa of the Sunkanis and other noble  families in Gracidza kept life radiating in the nation by pleasing the  Zwen stones. Unlike the Lantoft ancestors, the Sunkanis primarily  focused on preserving Kwa energy, which is more ethereal in nature than  Ru. Those strong in Kwa can create powerful spells that can be  particularly useful in war, but it is believed that using Kwa in a  destructive way corrupts one’s heart. Being mostly farmers, Gracidzi  people are pleased that their leaders use their Kwa to develop strong  spiritual connections to the Earth, and more importantly the Zwen  stones.

Zwen stones were at the center of all  civilization in Halafeven, and so the beliefs of the Gracidzi people  were not so different than that of other nations. Much like Heyon,  Gracidza had plenty of Zwen stones whose crystals could be seen glowing  blue most times of the year.

Though Kwa provided  potency in spiritual and magical arts, it could not create powerful  warriors; it weakened the body of the men who were strong carriers of  it, almost as if Kwa needed to use the body of the carrier to exist on  the physical plane. Ru is quite the opposite, the physical strength and speed of the carrier is greatly improved by it. A warrior with strong enough  Ru could make her skin practically impenetrable by normal weapons. A  knight carrying substantial Ru herself or a man with substantially strong Kwa magic were the only answers to a warrior with powerful Ru in her body.

The noblewoman of Gracidzi were still  trained to develop their natural Ru, but the country saw little use of  it. Gracidzi Ru Knights were not trained in the art of war, there hadn’t  been a war in over 30 years; the last “war” Gracidza had was a few battles with Denafor, after which both nations quickly negotiated terms of peace.

It  was rare for commoners to carry Ru in countries like Gracidza that had a  strong Kwa presence. Even rarer to be strong enough to be deemed worthy of the position of Captain of the Royal  guard.

Tulla had wanted to be a knight since she was 8, and by 22 she had accomplished her goal.

Families  in Tanel would hope they were blessed with a daughter like Tulla. With her skills, had she been Tanelian, Tulla would have been Knighted years  earlier. Tulla’s parents were Gracidzi however, and were saddened by her  decision to become a knight. They tried to veer her off the path many a  time.

Farmers, like many in Gracidza, Tulla’s  parents expected her to yield their crops with a capable husband and pray to the Zwen stones for healthy children. Children, who could do the  very same when they came of age.

Tanelian commoners were very much the opposite, women with strong Ru would almost always train to become knights, as they would often be accepted as wife in a noble house. This was because lesser noble houses in Tanel  were frequently looking for strong Ru in their bloodline, to strengthen  their family line.

A lowborn knight in Gracidza  wasn’t nearly as sought after. A Gracidzi knight had two options; she could either join the army of a noble family and spend her days  performing tricks at tournaments for the wealthy, or, if she was  strong enough, she could be sworn in as a Royal Guard. To do the latter,  the knight would renounce her family name and mother no children for  the rest of her days.

24 Years Tulla has served  house Sunkani, and many of them as Queen Shinkla’s most trusted  confidant. She already knew Renalitha (III) wasn't stopping with Heyon, as she was present when Shinkala received the many ravens Rena had sent,  proposing a way forward without war.

The  proposition was that Prince Ekun would marry Rena and be King at her side in Tanel. Shinkla would continue to rule Gracidza, no longer as  Queen however, but as Rena's vassal, and would be dubbed Lady Shinkla,  protector of Gracidza.

Now with Shinkla's death,  Camilia had again brought the same proposal from her sister. Ekun would move to Tanel still, but young Anhat would be Rena's Vassal in Gracidza once he comes of age.

Camilia was at her best  while the 3 royals feasted. She made young Anhat laugh so hard he was  holding his belly with both hands. Seeing his brother enjoy himself for  the first time since their mother passed, Prince Ekun let his guard down  a little, and a genuine smile dawned on his face.

Tulla had shared with the prince what Queen Rena had planned for him, "A  savage" she had called her. It was the reason that the normally kind and  soft-hearted prince was on guard during this exchange with the Tanelian  princess.

At 20, Ekun was a year older than Camilia. But unlike the princess, Ekun had no experience in politics or  war, nor did he train in rituals to develop his Kwa magic. The prince  spent most of his young years traveling with his father, who was  restoring old temples of Tahtu in the land.

Ekun befriended the local farmers wherever he went, and danced with village girls at the annual Ahelsto festival. He ate with them, laughed with  them, and was adored by them. His life had been like a dream compared to the two sisters from Tanel. He wasn't equipped to deal with them.

Tulla had watched over Ekun as a child and was the most trusted knight by  both King Ruka and Queen Shinka. Very much like his parents, the prince  held the captain in high regard as well. More than that, she was his  sole parental figure now. Tulla decided what was right for Gracidza and the prince listened.

Unbeknownst to Camilia, her  travel to Niandu and attempts to charm the princes into a peaceful  transition served no purpose. The captain had already decided the fate  of the two nations.

“As long as the blessed Zwen  stones let Ru flow through my blood, the Sunkani rule in Gracidza shall  not end”  Tulla had promised her late Queen shortly before her passing.

She meant to keep her oath and protect the two princes.. at any cost…

“If you look at a pebble closely, you may see its Ru;

If you look a little deeper to its heart, you may see its Kwa;

But blessed are those who can truly see,… The pebble is empty, only Tahtu, only Tahtu.”

-Priestess Alendina, Tahtuvat Nur Sutra; line 32.