Primogeniture

Chapter 20 - Armand

     Under the clear autumn skies of the Wisteria, the delegation from the House of Juna finished their tasks in an efficient manner as they had to prepare to fight an impending civil war with the House of Kang and the House of Blumenthal in the north that had aligned themselves with the barbarians from Konway beyond the mountains that separate the twp countries of Historia and Konway. 

     "We shall meet again if we are fated to my dear daughter and nephew." Bella said as she gave her daughter a hug before giving one to Emrick. The act of hugging their children was something both Bridget and Bella shared. It was a welcomed gesture by the two who were receiving it. At the same time, the Circe was looking at them getting along and wondered how different it would have been if her parents treated her the same way. It would have been so different compared to the relationship they shared at the current moment. As she stopped thinking about her parents, they begin to depart from Wisteria. At the same time, two men walked up to the city's gate and Bella greeted them. Emrick who just got on the carriage caught a glimpse of one of the men. it was the same person who he encountered when he was a child at the late king's funeral. The two seemed to be acquaintances of Bella, the three chatted merrily. 

     "Fate is not even within our control." Those words seemed to be echoing inside Emrick's head as he got down from the carriage he was on and approached the two men. The men saw the teenager coming and proceeded to turn towards him. Bella then tilted her head in confusion to why Emrick had returned. Emrick then looked at the man who once grabbed him at the late King's funeral when he was a child. 

     "Good day to you Grand Marshal." Emrick said in relative silence, only letting the adults there listen in on his speech." He eyed the man with the high rank, he always wondered why someone of his caliber did was hiding here and not fighting in the military. Furthermore, why did he wanted to know his mother's name at the time. Some questions he simply never got the answers to until now. The adults there saw the teenager and cold sweat ran down their faces. For Bella, she did not expect a close subordinate of the queen who was also her nephew knew the identity of the man she is sheltering. The men on the other hand were reeling under the fact their identities were exposed by the young man standing in front of them. 

     "Young man, who might you be?" The man behind the grand marshal spoke up not remembering that they have met Emrick before. The grand marshal on the other hand recognised the boy just from his Eyes of Altracia. 

     "Could I know from whom you inherited those Eyes of Altracia from young man?" The man said and Emrick answered without a second thought. He was holding the delegation from the House of Juna form leaving. He had to move fast if he wanted to make it back to the sovereign monarchs in a timely fashion. 

     "From my mother, Bridget Blumenthal." He answered the question and felt a sense of deja vu as the question has been asked from this man to him before. The man on the other hand had his eyes go wide in shock. However, he had a clear smile under his cloak that he and the other man wore. Their cloaks seemed battle scarred with patches and holes riddling the entire cloak. The man then asked him his name. 

     "May I know your name young man?" The man asked to the surprise of those around him. 

     "Emrick Juna." He replied and the man's eyes went even wider and his eyebrows were raised. Then, as they talked a woman in her dress that was made for long hours of paperwork came storming towards the teenager in the grey robes. She grabbed him by the elbow and Emrick looked at her impatient face and remembered that he was part of the delegation to Wisteria. Cara was behind the woman who grabbed his arm. The man simply observed the interaction between the two young adults. Bella on the other hand had her eyes twitching from the sight of her elder sister's murderer. Chika was not far behind them and as the man turned towards the approaching Duchess of Marqland, she saw the face that sent shivers down her spine.