The Fall of Cadoria: After War Comes Betrayal

Chapter 3

It did not take Tyrran long to take off his tunic. As soon as he left the High Council chamber and was out of sight, he almost tore it off as he walked to his chambers. The relief was immeasurable. It brought a happy smile to his face, and he began to stretch his neck and wave his arms around, enjoying his freedom after being imprisoned in his tunic. He resisted the temptation to throw the tunic away, he would probably get in trouble with Braganẑa if he did.

"War!" he thought with a smile, and he threw an imaginary axe blow. It had been a long time. Tyrran had almost thought Thargoẑa had lost the will to fight. In many ways he was glad. While Thargoẑa kept its sword sheathed, Cadoria was safe, and his family were safe as were all Cadorians, but he missed the comradeship and togetherness that being on campaign brought. The sense of doing something greater than themselves. He may have been the crown prince and Marshal of the Cadorian army but without a free Cadoria he was nothing. His stomach growled and he remembered that had not eaten since breakfast and it was now late afternoon.

Tyrran arrived in his chambers he was met with the sight of his wife, Braganẑa, attempting embroidery in a soft chair under a blanket next to the large unlit fireplace, Oresa, his eldest daughter, was curled up in the other soft chair reading while Yures, his son, and Haresa, his youngest daughter, argued loudly over a board game on the large oak dining table. Tyrran knew that Braganẑa felt the cold easily and would often complain quite vigorously about it during the winter, so he did not feel the need to question why she was under a blanket when the day had been so warm. Neither his wife nor children acknowledged him as he walked in despite not seeing him for most of the day.

Their chambers were large. They were supposed to be used by the monarch of the day but as Tyrran and Braganẑa's family grew larger, King Ingres told them bluntly,

"I can't have my grandchildren cooped up like chickens. Take my chambers and I'll have yours. I don't need so much space by myself."

Any objections Tyrran had were brushed aside by his father and he made it clear to Tyrran not to pursue them. The chambers faced south and while during the late mornings and the early afternoon, the chambers felt warm, early mornings and late afternoons it could feel cold inside. Tapestries were hung from the wall and rugs were laid on the floor to stop the stone floors and walls from cooling the chambers down, it only worked so well. On the coldest days, Braganẑa would sometimes threaten with great certainty,

"Next year I'm leaving Cadora and spend the winter in a warm cottage in the south where I can at least see the sun!" When an alarmed Tyrran would tell her she would risk being captured by a Thargoẑan raiding party and would be taken to Thargoẑa to be executed, she would retort, "At least I would die warm." To Tyrran's relief, she never followed through on her threat.

During the summer this was not a problem as the coolness of the palace was refreshing from the heat and the nights were warm but now it was autumn the sun moved quicker across the sky making the chambers grow darker earlier. Candles had needed to be lit to give the chambers some semblance of light and the chambers began to have more of a chill to it.

Tyrran groaned inside as the two youngest children's argument escalated into teasing. Yures climbed up onto his chair whilst holding Haresa's counter for the board game they were supposed to be playing above his head so she could not reach it,

"Yures! Give it back!" Haresa shouted, tears welling up in her eyes jumping in the air in a futile attempt to rescue it from her brother.

"This is what you get for cheating!" Yures shot back with a grin on his face pushing Haresa back down, as she tried to climb onto Yures's chair, with his other hand, enjoying upsetting his sister.

"Daddy! Tell Yures to stop!" Haresa whined, finally noticing her father even if it was only to get her brother into trouble.

"Yures, leave your sister alone!" Tyrran told his son, sharply. "And Haresa don't cheat!" not letting his youngest daughter off the hook, knowing full well that she probably had been cheating as she had a habit of doing now and again when she was losing.