The Obsidian Heir

Raehera

Rahera woke up in his silky robe with soft covers on him. He looked over at his wife who was still asleep and snoring loudly.
   He ignored the snoring and lifted the covers off of him and got out of bed. The morning sun was shining in his room. He walked out onto a balcony outside his room and looked beyond the castle walls.
   He saw an army approaching… His brothers. The kingdom of Fae's banners were high in the sky. Raehera frowned. That's today… he thought. 
   Raehera rushed to his bed and began shaking his wife Rhya to wake her up. Her eyes slowly opened, "What is it?" she asked in a tired voice. "My brother is arriving here, go get the girls and boys and put some formal clothes on," demanded Raehera. 
   She had a sudden burst of energy and quickly rushed out of her bed. Raehera quickly went to his wardrobe, and found something to wear. He picked out a dark blue silky robe with a white cloak coming off of it that was outlined in a dark blue. 
   Once he was done dressing he stared at his wife who had matching clothes. She wore a dark blue dress with white sleeves.
   "You look nice," said Raehera, examining Rhya. Rhya blushed, "So do you honey," said Rhya. Raehera smiled,"You get the children, I'll make sure my council is ready," said Raehera. Rhya nodded and the two of them rushed out of their bedroom.
   Raehera walked down a hallway and made it to a stairwell. He walked up the endless stairs and up at the top he walked through a door that led into his council room. 
   His council was already standing in the room. "We suspect you already know that your brother is making his way here," assumed Teval, "Yes I know," replied Raehera.
   Teval was wearing his shiny white armor with a blue cap and the symbol of Reinfield on his chest plate as he always did. Raehera looked over to Stay who was wearing a black robe with red sleeves and a black cloak. Finally Raehera looked over at his mother who was wearing a white gown and black heels. 
   "We all seem ready, let's head down into the courtyard to greet lord Righara," demanded Raehera as he made his way out the council room. The councilmen followed behind him.  
   As they entered the courtyard, Raehera noticed Rhya and their four children standing together. 
   Hall was wearing a black robe with red stripes along it. John was wearing a black fur coat with a black robe underneath and the symbol of Reinfield on the chest area of the robe.
   Lyanna wore a silky blue dress with her hair braided and Anna wore a blue dress, her hair long and brushed neatly. 
   Raehera walked beside Rhya and put his head around her shoulder. The dirt below his feet was muddy and wet from last night's storm. 
   Raehera heard the sound of horse hooves. The gates opened and he saw his brother enter. His wife was beside him, So was his children. All on horses. But Righara the second was missing. 
   He noticed all of Righara's family wore black clothes, each had sullen looks on their faces. Raehera's mood changed. Funeral clothes… he thought, looking at the black clothes.
   He looked at Rhya who seemed to have the same confused expression as he did.
   Righara got off his horse and slowly approached Raehera. Righara looked Raehera in the eyes, "We need to speak inside, alone," said Righara.
   Raehera nodded hesitantly. Him and Righara entered the throne room. 
   As they stood in the throne room, Righara put his hand on Raehera's shoulder, "We were visiting for the second year anniversary all with excitement," started Righara Raehera nodded his head to signal Righara to keep going, "But we have some sad news," Righara said with a melancholic tone. "What is it," demanded Raehera.
   Righara took a deep breath, "Righara the second has died." 
   Raehera didn't know what to think. "How," demanded Raehera. "I'm sorry we didn't send a messenger about this, that's what had got him killed," began Righara, "You see, I sent Iline and him to spy on Mark at Obsidian City. Iline came back with a sack that had Righara the second's head in it," finished Righara.
   Righara had a sullen look on his face and tears, "Who killed him," demanded Raehera. "Peline did. He sliced his head off with his sword," answered Righara.
   Peline… he thought with rage, "We won't let them get away with this, we must put our banners up and wage war," suggested Raehera. 
   Righara shook his head, "We can't," defied Righara, "We must, I have an army, you have an army, our alliances do, we can do this," said Raehera.
   Righara sighed, "When Iline got back he said that they had an army as big as all of the kingdoms combined, then he had other houses who swore an oath to him, we do not stand a chance," argued Righara. 
   Raehera shook his head in disagreement, "Let's call the other armies here, let's see what they will do about my nephew being killed, Mark will not be getting away with this," Raehera said enraged.
   "WE DON'T STAND A DAMN CHANCE," boomed Righara, "We'd be slaughtered like a bunch of lambs by a pack of wolves," said Righara. 
   Raehera's face was red with rage and his ears burned along with it. His eyes widened furiously and jaw gripped tight.
   "Plus the Midnight Riders are out tonight and will be for another week, if we do send a messenger out to the other kingdoms, that messenger will be slaughtered. If the messenger does make it, and the other kingdoms start making their way to us, they'll most definitely cross the Midnight Riders without a doubt," argued Righara.
   Raehera gripped his fist tight, "We got to do something," Raehera furiously said, "He was my nephew I will not let Mark get away with this." 
   "I know and we won't, but somehow we have to get a powerful enough army, we can't defeat Mark with the size of our armies right now," said Righara. 
   "Then how will we do it?" asked Raehera. "We could try and get the houses who swore an oath to him to join us, if not we have to travel across seas and get kingdoms across the sea to join us," said Righara.
   "If we try and get the houses to turn on him that could start a war in the process, but we could go across seas, but that could take years," said Raehera. 
   "House Gillen has over a thousand ships, the most powerful fleet in all of Esternia," said Righara. 
   "We could go across the Union Sea, that'll only take nine days to cross," said Raehera.  "How many kingdoms are across the Union Sea?" asked Righara, "On the Island of Everestmore there are about four and on the continent of Valeen there are ten of them," said Raehera. 
   Righara nodded. "The last thing I want is war," said Righara, " but if we can get an easy war and a successful one…" He looked at Raehera, "I'm in, but we must assemble these kingdoms carefully." 
   Raehera smiled, "I'd go to war to avenge my nephew." "Me too…" said Righara sullenly. 
   The two brothers hugged. Raehera didn't ever feel sympathy for anyone, but this is his dead nephew. He must do something about it. 
   Raehera backed away from Righara, "A little wine has never hurt anyone?" asked Righara. Raehera smiled but refused the offer, "We have a war to plan, where's your master of ships?" asked Righara, "Don't have one, I'm my own master of ships and coin and my son is my regent," responded Raehera. 
   Righara gaped, "You need one brother, I'll give you the son of my master of ships and the son of my master of coin," "No need for brother," said Raehera. 
   Righara nodded unhesitatingly, "Of course there's need for, you need to find a regent especially, I have no idea how your kingdom is stable without one."
   "It's because I'm in charge brother," chuckled Raehera. His brother chuckled with him, "Surprise your brain of yours can handle all this, ships and banks. ABSENTS! How in the hell do you help yourself when you're absent," asked Righara. 
   Raehera and Righara both chuckled, it cheered them both up about Raehera's dead nephew.
   That night when Raehera and his wife were in bed, he stared at the blank darkness. Rhya was reading a book called Dragonology, also known as the study of Dragons.
   Raehera lied, staring at the ceiling of darkness and only seeing the light of his wife's candle in the corner of his eye, "It would've never happened if Righara didn't send him in the first place, how foolish of him to send his own heir," said Raehera.
   "If this was a different king and not your brother, you would have to fight to save your tongue right now if anyone heard you," said Rhya. She was right, he shouldn't be talking about his brother the way he was. "Forgive me, love," said Raehera. Rhya nodded in forgiveness. 
   "The feast is tomorrow honey, you should get the rest you need," his wife said. He nodded in agreement.
   As he closed his eyes, he pictured a map. It was vivid to him. The Western Trail leading to Obsidian City. He pictures him and his army on the map marching towards Obsidian City with swords in hands and torches too. 
   Some of his men were riding on horses with lances and swords too. Their mounted horses were armored. The Obsidian City seemed unknown to all of this, but something felt wrong to him. 
   His army begins to be set on fire unexpectedly. Then he begins to see a foreign house. One unknown. His host was weakened and he had to retreat. He came back to Reinfield and his castle had been set on fire. 
   The stone walls and the giant stone towers that were as wide and tall as a mountain. The gates falling apart and the thatch and wooden houses falling apart.
   The gray stone of the castle falling apart. He rushed into the castle to check on his family, but when he entered his family was hanged on lampposts. A noose around each of their necks tight.
   Their faces were pale and empty with death. He began to weep. Next thing he knew a sword was around his neck.
   "Mark sent me," the unknown man said. 
   The next thing he knew was that he was awake, sweating and pale. It was all a dream, but it felt so real… 
   His wife seemed to be out of bed. The red and velvet colors of his blanket were set aside where his wife slept. The morning lights shot through the window and the red curtains were wide open.
   He got out of bed. His foot was sore, he must've slept on it the wrong way. He made his way to his spruce wardrobe and opened it.
   Color variation clothes filled the wardrobe. His and his wife's clothes. Fancy black shiny shoes at the bottom of the wardrobe and bowties for his wife's hair.
   He took his pair of shoes and a black soft pair of pants to put on. What time was it… he wondered. He grabbed a lavender and silky linen and cloth robe to put on.  
   He looked at himself in a mirror and approved it. His eyes had seemed to have gone dull and pale from aging. Acne seemed to have broken out on his forehead and a nasty wart was rising from his chin. 
   His sword was hung on the wall above his wardrobe. He walked back across the wooden creaky floor to grab it.
   He put the sharp end of the blade against the war, and sliced it off. The pain was unbearable but he was a strong man, so he dealt with it.
   He rather had ingrown nails than a nasty wart that brought no pain. Blood spilled from where his wart was and he grabbed a linen rag from his nightstand and put it against his face. A bowl of water was in his room, so he walked to it and washed his face from the blood.
   He heard a knock at his door, "Father may I come in," a voice said. It was his sweet Anna's. The one who was clearly his favorite of all his. 
   "Yes sweetling," he said. The knob turned and the spruce door opened. The morning light glared in her eyes. She fidgeted with her fingers. She wore a bright blue beautiful dress and black shoes that reflected the morning lights. Her hair was braided to her back. She looks beautiful… he thought.
   "What is it honey?" Raehera asked. "The moon was full last night.." she began, "I went out there and gazed upon the stars because I'm so interested in them. Then I heard these voices speaking in treason father," she said low as if she was guilty of it.
   Raehera raised an eyebrow, "What were they saying?" he asked, still holding the cloth rag to his missing wart. 
   "I hid behind the Wonder Well and listened to them; one had a barbed beard and was white. He wore our armor, but he had honor for us. The other… I couldn't tell who he was, but his voice… it was so… god like," said Anna
   "What?" Raehera said confusedly. "It boomed like thunder and would put a man on his knees from how great his voice was. It was majestic, that's all I know. The only features I can think of. Except the one with the barbed beard was short. Shorter than me," she said.
   "What were they speaking of Anna?" he asked. He needs to know. What if it was something from his dream, what if his dream was a sign of great danger…
   "First of all it wasn't treason yet," she began, he didn't care if it was treason. He only cared for the danger of his family, "They started talking of this house, an unknown one to me." Like my dream… Raehera thought.
   "A house called Tether, one building an army to take the entire continent, they said that even the Midnight Riders fear them," Anna said with fear in her voice, "Their banner was said to look like a dead man being hung by a rope."
   Impossible… how? He thought.
   Anna could tell there was something wrong with her father, but she continued anyway, with hesitation.
   "The unknown man spoke of you then, talking about how you'll fail against Mark because you're too weak and that Righara's son was a fraud and the entire family is," she said.
   Raehera's face turned red, but he couldn't decide if it was anger or fear that turned it that color. 
   Anna trembled with bad tremors. Raehera grabbed her softly by the hand and stroked her hair to calm her down. He wished he had something to calm himself down. 
   "We're not frauds, but whoever these men are we'll find them and give them the justice they deserve," Raehera said with might in his voice, "This Tether house is nothing to fear, but we'll have a huge army soon, and we'll be safe inside Reinfield's walls… I promise you darling."
   Anna and Raehera hugged and stood together in his room. "When does the feast begin," Raehera asked nervously, as if it already did. "I heard the Goat Knight say it'll begin in two hours on my way to your chambers," she responded.
   The Goat Knight… he thought curious.
   Also known as Ser William the fifth. It was a tradition… 
   Ser William the fifth had a barbed bear and was short, he also had pale white skin with gray dull eyes. His beard was white as snow and his head was bald and shined with any illumination nearby. He was very burly, and active for his age. He's been alive since Raehera's great grandfather was alive. 
   The description sounded like how Anna describes the knight in Anna's story, "Tell me Anna, did the barbed beard knight say the treason or did the unknown man?" asked Raehera urgently. 
  "The unknown man, the barbed beard man… wait… are you thinking what I'm thinking?" she asked. Raehera nodded, "Ser William is the barbed bearded man, tell me did the man look exactly like the Goat Knight?" he asked.
   "Now that I think about it… yes, but he said no treason and he treats us well. Don't do anything to him, father," she said with a bit of worry in her tone, "He only spoke of the House Tether…"
   "Don't worry, I won't hurt him, but I am going to have to investigate him," said Raehera, "You must understand it's because he knows of dangers coming."
   Anna nodded her head understanding.
   "We will get this all together, do not worry," he said. Anna nodded and turned her back to him, she went out his chamber's door and down the great hallway that was outside his chambers.
   He wondered where the rest of his family was. He exited  chambers and walked down the dim stone hallway. The cracks in the walls were at least decades old… maybe even centuries.
   He made it to the Great Hall where Righara sat on a chair drinking wine. Two men sat beside him, and the rest of his family was there laughing and getting along… except Anna. She must've gone up to her room. She never liked being talkative to most people.
   The two men sitting beside Righara both wore iron clad and leather boots and gloves. They wore no helm, but had the Rein house symbol engraved in their iron tunics. 
   One had a wrinkled face with brown greasy hair that went down to his cheeks. He also had a voice that could sing, he was singing a song.