Unlimited Universe - The Atlantean Angle

The Atlantean Angle

Alanna Fen had been gone from Atlantis and the intrigues of court for four years now. Her brother, King Orvax Fen II, would be annoyed with her for being absent for so long but she knew his irritation would be short-lived. They had always had that rare sibling closeness, one where they rarely fought and always stood behind the decision of the other.

After their father, King Orvax Fen I, had passed and her brother had assumed the throne she had thought their relationship might change, that it might become more formal. That he would take over not just the throne from their father but also the role of disapproving of a high-ranking member the royal family and her continuing to leave behind station and responsibility for what the aristocracy considered "the banality of wilderness adventure".

True to form, he did not change. Upon hearing that she was leaving on another trek he had her exclaim it in court where he hugged her and publicly (and loudly) wished her well! She still giggled to herself at how many of the courtesans present tried their best to hide their appall.

The only thing that had changed with her brother was his attitude toward Vulko, that prim and preening, stuffy old barnacle of a teacher their father had put them under when they were young. Orvax had made Vulko his advisor. His. Advisor! That decision still boggled her mind but it meant he was present when she left. His reaction still nagged at her, he had looked almost relieved. She nor Orvax had been the best of students but she still couldn't reconcile his reaction to her leaving. She wondered what his reaction would be, what all their reactions would be, when she told them her news.

Suddenly a voice shouted from behind her! "HALT! STAY WHERE YOU ARE AND IDENTIFY YOURSELF IN THE NAME OF REGENT-KING ORUS OF ATLANTIS!" She turned to find a trio of spearmen clad in the uniforms of Atlantean guards but with instead of the Trident Crest the House of Fen had used throughout the recorded history of Atlantis and their rule of it, there was now a helmet imposed over a trident.

She stopped as the words and the symbol struck her. Before wisdom could change her words she admitted truthfully, "I am Alanna Fen, Second in the House of Fen, Princess of Atlantis and sister to King Orvax Fen the Second".

For what seemed a quiet eternity the trio looked at her and she looked at them, nothing passed between she and the guards but gentle currents and stunned silence. Finally one of the guards spoke up, "you will accompany us to the court of the Regent-King, your Highness. Now." The second guard followed his lead but the third guard hung back briefly. His reluctance caught her eye for a moment and in that split-second she saw the a pleading in his eyes along with a subtle shake of his head.

Her response was a purposely meek "of course" as the guards closed in on her to begin the escort.

It was not lost on her that despite how far away she had travelled in search of adventure, the most dangerous adventure of her life may be in her going home.

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Instead of being taken to the throne room where those of court could see her, Alanna was brought to the private chambers of the king. She knew the area well, she had grown up in them. Now they seemed strange, slightly off, like someone's poor impression of her descriptions. The furniture and decorations looked the same but now felt alien to her.

The doors opened and in walked the most... unremarkable... man she had ever seen. He was of average height, hair normally dark, his skin was neither too pale nor too dark (and certainly was not the blue of the Lemurians), he was not unattractive but he would also never be known for one to have woman fawning over him and of a build that was neither large nor small. He was -in every way she could tell- average.

He was accompanied by two women in the flowing, scaled robes of the Xebellian Silent School. High Magisters, if she was reading their ranking stripes correctly.

"Princess Alanna Fen, I am Orus Rath," a deep, smooth voice called out. "We thought you long since perished or simply lost to us forever in the wild lands of the greater ocean." For all of his unimpressive traits, his voice was definitely not one of them. It was a deep, rich baritone with an underlying sense of genuine concern and tinged with the certainty of one who is used to giving commands. The two Magisters moved to the sides of the door but stayed near the wall as the Regent-King... "imposter king," she mentally berated herself, came to stand before her.

"While you have been away, many great and wonderful things have happened, please sit while I tell you all that has transpired in your absence." Her initial reaction was to balk, to assert her station, to call in the guards and demand to see her brother. She hesitated. His request for talk seemed reasonable and it may give her answers she needed to act on instead of acting out of ignorance. She followed him as he sat, putting her back to the Magisters.

"While you were away Atlantis and Xebel entered into a most wonderful alliance," behind her she noted the rustling of a cloak, she turned to see the Magisters still standing in the same places but were moving their arms in slow motions. Their hands were hidden by the large robes but nothing seemed amiss.

And why would she care? The Silent School was a place of learning and of magic. Something about that nagged at her briefly, then was gone.

"As I was saying," the Regent-King said, drawing her attention back to him. If he said anything after that she did not remember it. As he spoke her mind wandered and as it wandered she forgot who she was talking to, where she was or even that her mind was wandering. She simply was and that was all that mattered.

The days passed. Or was it weeks? The two lady Magisters became her friends and constant companions, but she could never remember their names nor their faces.

The last thing she thought might be a memory was of Vulko. That old seabag of hot water. He had given her something to drink, something secret... shhhh, musn't tell... and then she slipped back into her stupor. From then on time had little meaning.

In a very detached way she understood that she had married Orus, that he had come to her on their wedding night and they had produced a child. His name was... Namor? Yes, that was it. And later there was... Orin? No, that was to have been for another. Orm? Yes, Orm.

And Vulko. He was with her now, holding her hand while discussing how Namor was taking to his lessons, especially those on how a ruler should carry themselves, but that he could have a terrible temper. As he talked, the haze in her mind was slowly lifting. She began to look around the room but her attention was pulled back to Vulko as he squeezed her hand.

He was now speaking of Orm, such a precocious child. Vulko's eyes were a mix of pleading and warning as he relaxed his grip once again. "Guard," he began as he turned toward the guard stationed at the door, "might we have some time that I can speak to her openly of things known only within the royal family?"

Alanna kept her face still, betraying nothing as the guard looked at her, nodded to Vulko then left the room.

Vulko turned back to Alanna, his face returning to the old lecturer she knew well. "We don't have much time. It's taken much time but I've been able to gain enough trust from those newer members of the royal staff to secure my old teaching position and to begin seeing you. Within minutes the guard will return and I'll have to go back to pleasantries so listen closely..."

Alanna couldn't wait, "how long?"

"Alanna, we don't have ti-"

This time more sternly, "How. Long."

Vulko's expression fell a bit, making him look old and tired. "It's been seven years since you walked in from the wilderness, it's been three months since I was able to begin seeing you regularly."

Alanna was stupified. Seven years had passed. While she was not as sharp yet as she had been, her mind was still dulled enough that she couldn't quite reach the justifiable rage she knew she should have. All she could must was, "how?"

In a flash Vulko switched back to the old lecturer she remembered. "At first they used two Magisters from the Silent School to muzzle your thoughts. They made you compliant enough that you wed Orus. They lessened their magicks once you were with child then increased them again once the child was born. Both Namor and Orm are being raised to believe that their mother is the victim of a stupor caused by her travels among the surface world.

The Silent School tired of having two full Magisters stationed here and eventually refined their mind-numbing magicks so that only a mere Adept is needed to come by once a week to refresh it. This allowed me time to test various methods of countering their spells until I found an alchemical compound that is proving successful.

In order to quell descension and confusion your continued absence has created Orus has begun using his fable surrounding your muddled mind to garner power in the form of support against the surface world. Rumor has it that he is conferring with his brother Callum, the Xebel king, on plans to attack the drylanders."

Before Vulko could continue the guard returned. Alanna didn't need to fake her look of placid confusion, going over Vulko's revelations was doing that on its own.

Vulko's expressioned had softened again to what it had been earlier. "It seems I've overtaxed you with my prattling, dear. I'll be off to let you rest. I'll return tomorrow once you've had your weekly visit with your Adept friend." Sly Vulko, finishing off their conversation in such a way as to keep the guard unaware of their deception.

As Vulko left Alanna laid her head back down, she had much to think on.