Aetherian(Part 1): A War Begins

Belle

 Belle could feel the heat of the sunlight through the golden stained glass windows of the throne room, high at the tip of the Ivory Tower. Her sister sat beside her, and Prince Vorian sat on the Dragon Throne. In front of the huge chair were two wooden stands, one with the brown bear of Vestarr etched into it, and the other with the black cat of Lysander. Belle wasn't surprised about a session of court taking place between the lords of the Houses Vestarr and Lysander, but she was nervous for Karlon. Maybe because it was his first session of court in presence of royalty, or maybe because Lord Semil might try and bribe Prince Vorian to his favor. Belle refused to believe that Vorian would accept gold over justice, though. The Prince was little over fifteen, about Trevor's age, with a pure heart, wearing a black jacket and a golden cape with the Busch armored centaur, and he had short, dark hair, like his mother, the Queen. In front of him were Ser Lloyd and Arry Lysander in their Dragon Guard armor. Whenever he looked at her, she could feel her heart racing, and her face turned red.

"Really?" Melody smirked. "Come on."

"What?" said Belle. "Leave me alone." Melody must have felt some kind of nervous aura from her to be able to tell that she was staring at Vorian.

"Just make sure father doesn't burst in here when you're making googly eyes at him," Melody suggested.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Belle lied.

"Whatever," Suddenly, both Karlon Vestarr and Semil Lysander came through the door in the back of the throne room, both wearing the sigils of their respective houses on the shoulders of long jackets.

"Lord Karlon, Lord Semil," the Prince greeted, and the two lords knelt before him, then stood behind their stands. "Let's get started. Lord Karlon, what is the case you've brought us today?"

"A complaint, Prince Vorian," Karlon answered. "The Icewood is what separates the Snowlands from the southern regions. Soldiers of Lord Garvin Frost, the forest's defender, have reported incidents of soldiers of House Lysander trespassing on his territory."

"Did any of these trespasses turn violent, my lord?" asked the Prince.

"Unfortunately, my Prince," said Karlon. "A dozen casualties from both sides have occurred. A Knight and brother of Lord Frost, Ser Cale, was also, unfortunately, killed in the fighting."

"My men meant no harm, Prince Vorian," Lord Semil promised. "The violence could have been avoided if perhaps, Lord Frost might have been less hostile."

"Ser Cale asked your soldiers to leave, and they only went further into the Icewood," said Karlon. "What else were they supposed to do?"

"What else could they have done, Lord Karlon?" asked Lord Semil.

"I know what you could have done, my lord," asserted Karlon. "Maybe ask me if you could enter the Snowlands before you start shooting them up."

"My lords!" Vorian shouted. "You're both right about what you say. It's always been that when a lord that wants to conduct operations in the territory of another, that they ask their permission, first. If they don't approve, then it is a trespass. On the other hand, it isn't right that trespassers are executed on sight without any kind of reasonable conditions. Lord Karlon, were you notified by Lord Garvin about the incursion?"

"A few days ago, yes," answered Karlon. "Though, it must have happened sometime before that."

"What makes you say that?" asked Prince Vorian.

"Lord Frost said that Ser Cale was killed a week ago," said Karlon.

"Lord Semil?" said the Prince. "What was your reason for your men to march into the Icewood in the first place? Why did you order them there?" Belle could sense a feeling of nervousness from Lord Lysander. Whatever reason he had must not have been a good one.

"My Lord?" Vorian urged.

"The Prince asked you a question," Ser Lloyd reminded.

With great reluctance, Semil Lysander answered: "There are artifacts in the Icewood that belong to House Lysander, by right." Belle could then feel a sense of anger from her brother.

"You're saying that a dozen men died protecting some dusty tombs?" he demanded.

"Let me handle this, my lord," said Vorian, then he turned to his uncle and asked, "What kind of artifacts?"

"We don't know, Prince Vorian," Lord Semil answered. "All we know is that they might date back to centuries even before the days of the Dragon War."

"And what kind of artifacts do you think are in the ruins in the Icewood?" the Prince demanded. "Doesn't House Lysander have a history of searching for evil artifacts and talismans of darkness?"

"We stopped searching for those five thousand years ago, my Prince," Lord Semil promised.

"And yet, you have soldiers in lands that aren't yours, garrisoning themselves in villages that don't belong to your people, and shooting soldiers and Knights of another High Lord," said Vorian. "And you say it's all for something that supposedly belongs to your family?"

"Prince Vorian..."

"You ordered an operation in Lord Karlon's region without his consent!" Prince Vorian shouted. "That action was declared a crime little more than a century after this country was founded. Not to mention murdering his own men to advance that operation."

"My Prince, I urge you..."

"You will draw all of your forces back to the Green Hill territory, my lord," Vorian declared. "The artifacts in the Snowlands belong to the Snowlands, and you will not cause any more death over them. That is my decision. We're done here." Lords Karlon and Semil both bowed their heads and began to leave. Lord Semil left with an aura of rage about him, but Karlon was stopped by Prince Vorian.

"Lord Karlon," he called to him, as he stepped down from the Dragon Throne. "Wait just a minute, my lord. We have much to discuss." Prince Vorian stepped to Karlon, and they began to converse, but Belle couldn't hear what they were saying from where she and Melody were.

"What do you think they're talking about?" said Melody. They could both feel a sense of nervousness from their brother when both he and Vorian looked their way.

"I don't know," Belle answered. "Karlon doesn't seem too happy about it."

"No, he doesn't," Melody agreed. Karlon then waved to them, and they both approached their brother and the Prince. Karlon had a regretful look on his face.

"I just want to point out that this is Prince Vorian's idea," he said.

"Which your brother supports completely," added the Prince.

"What?" asked Belle.

"Well, tell her," urged Vorian, nudging Karlon.

"I am," said Karlon, then he looked to Belle. "We were discussing that the hostilities between House Vestarr and House Lysander have gone too far, and we think there might be a way to solve that, but it all depends on you."

"How?" asked Belle, even though she had a good idea.

"Oh, I know," Melody teased, with a slight giggle.

"I'm sure you know that the best way to forge alliances between sovereigns, like myself, is through a manner of matrimony," said Prince Vorian.

"Matrimony," Belle repeated, whispering. "Oh, you mean marriage."

"Exactly," said Karlon. "That's where you come in." A rush of fear shot through Belle like an adrenaline rush.

"Marriage to...?" she asked, looking to Vorian.

"Oh, not me," Vorian jumped. "I'm promised to Lady Remora Williams. I was talking about my brother, Roderick." That made Belle nervous. Prince Roderick intimidated her a bit with his size and temper, but maybe she could help him bring that down to make him more kind and gentle. There was also the fact that Houses Busch, Vestarr, and Lysander would be united once it was final, and she couldn't bare the thought of any more violence between the Vestarrs and Lysanders.

"We agreed that you will have the final say in this," Karlon pointed out. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

Suddenly, Belle blurted "I'll do it."