"Your highness, this is preposterous! They want to give us their royal rejects as a form of offer and expect us to accept them with open arms?!" Hildrad Severi, the right hand man and not to mention the emperor's best-friend protests.
"This is undeniably a form of insult!" The other council members pleaded.
The world as we know it certainly is different from how the old books describe it. Ages ago a catastrophic event shook the world, like literally, the land masses all of a sudden shifted around and connected as if to form one land form while other land masses appeared around it with creatures that the human ancestors only heard of in lores and myths. Demons crawled out, angels fell from the sky and elemental creatures such as elves and sirens emerged from where they were residing integrating themselves into the world the humans called home. Now this great land is called "Ortus" well in the old tongue, Latin, it meant origin or the beginning.
Ortus was divided into three. The first was the northern lands divided into 7 kingdoms where it is greatly populated with humans along side some of the other creatures who ventured into the human territory. Second, is the central land where the elemental creatures dominated and claimed their place. Third and lastly, the southern land, that is always in war due to the 2 inhibiting creatures always bickering, the angels and the demons.
Now one of the Kingdoms from the northern lands successfully united the whole north and created the Boreus Empire (North Empire) while allowing the 6 other royalties from each kingdom to continue their rule under the predicament that they heed the Empires rules and regulations to protect the peace and its people and that they'd become only great cities under the Empire's regime. In relation to this, they're supposed to offer royal tributes to show their willingness to cooperate and announce their new found loyalty to the Empire. Unfortunately these kingdoms are taking this too lightly and instead sent off their royal rejects.
Royal rejects are royalties either too far from the succession line or successors who fell out of favors in their kingdom. Essentially, they're unwanted presence and are often just sold off or married off to form alliance instead.
"Quite bold of them to assume we'd let them slide off easily like this." The archduke and the current general of the empire's royal knights, Marcus Elio Alistaire, states in a matter of facts.
"Paying them a personal visit with my sword isn't such a bad idea... I'd even get to go sightseeing!" The general of the Attack force knight, Lucas Zavier Alistaire, offered.
The members of the board all showed displeasure for the improper actions the Kingdoms have done. The board was comprised of the three generals of the empire's army and the head of each parliament.
"Hmmm, we'll accept their tributes but we will only accept them as down-payments. We shall take the full payment with interest now. Marcus! Zavier! Assembly the knights." The Emperor ordered as he stands and walk to the door.
"Your highness, what are we going to do with all their 'royal down payments', we can't just let them be?" Hilrad stopped the king in his track.
"They're all young boys right? Assign them to a knights order or somewhere, anywhere, train them, make then work for their place here. Easy." The emperor sluggishly answered as if irritated that he was stopped.
There was silence in the meeting room, none of the generals or the council members were willing to take these "royal tributes" into their wings.
"None of you want them? Can I take them instead?" A little girl in knight's armor announced as she comes into the meeting room.
"Thalia, how many times do I have to remind you to not eavesdrop and interrupt us when we are having a meeting, and please wear what proper young ladies are supposed to wear!" Hilrad bickered.
"Yes mother Hilrad. *bows mockingly* Hey your highness! may I have them then?" Thalia's eyes glistened towards the emperor.
"You always know you can get whatever you want *sigh* of course you can have them." The king sighs in defeat and pats Thalia in the head before walking towards the door once more but before the Emperor could open it completely, Hilrad slams the door in an attempt to catch the Emperor's attention.
"Your highness, Caspian! You can't bestow upon Thalia those rejects!" Hilrad's worried expression was clear.
"If they bite you pull out their teeth, if they run away cut off their legs and if they harm you... then... *smirks* We won't have a choice but to 'annihilate' the families they're from." Lucas pets Thalia and smirks at the thought of having an excuse of purging those families.
"I have slave collars in my office, you can get some on your way to visit them." Marcus instructed.
"Don't worry mom *hugs Hilrad* ! Just leave it to me now!... hurry along and get those royal sacrifices, I mean royal tribute!" Thalia took Hilrad hand from the door and opened it for the Emperor.
The emperor chuckled at Thalia and nods over the generals to follow him. Hilrad could do nothing but walk with the other council members towards their corresponding offices. Thalia giggles in victory while victoriously walking towards where all the royal tributes where held. As she held the door open she looks upon 7 boys roughly around her age with a dead look in their eyes as if waiting for their death.
"Officials of royalty sacrificing their own skin and blood for their own protection, how despicable." Thalia says out loud.
"They were always looking for ways to discard me, I bet they found this opportunity and was thankful." The smallest of the boys with recognizable markings of beating answered.
"It was the same for me..." " me too" all the other boys agreed.
"Well no worries, Don't reside in things you don't have power over. Now just go to the next best option!" Thalia jumps in the middle of the young boys huddled in the middle of the big room.
"What... do you mean?... What other... option do we have?" One of the boys asked with a trembling voice.
"Take my hand! And make them regret their action! Make them eat your dirt!" With an attempt of an evil laugh Thalia proclaims proudly.
"Will we really be able to do... that?" Another one of the boy spoke up as one by one their eyes starts to light up at the spark of hope offered to them by this little lady in a knights armor.
"Ofcourse! With the right mix of hardwork! Courage! And Passion! Anything is possible, come along now we shall start by getting all of your essential needs hehe, and I know just where to go!" Thalia pulls one of the boys up to his feet while the others follow in manners.
They all stood up and followed the girl in armor around the castle and unknowingly the little girl in armor became an important figure in the eyes of these hopeless little boys from that day on and for the many years to come.
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Hi everyone... this is my first story in ages... hopefully i can keep it up its pace hehe
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Thalia and the Seven Royal Knights
Fantasy"Your highness, this is preposterous! They want to give us their royal rejects as a form of offer and expect us to accept them with open arms?!" Hildrad Severi, the right hand man and not to mention the emperor's best-friend protests. "This is unde...
