22 years previously
Thaddeus looked up from his bedside table, as the heavy rain intensified outside and started to make audible noise on the window.
“What a night for this nonsense.” He sighed to nobody in particular. Of all the people to choose to represent Isim as an ambassador to Castfor, Victor has chosen him. If Thaddeus didn’t know any better, he’d have called him an idiot.
Now here he was, in the very capital city of the rival kingdom. While Flosellum couldn’t quite compare to the majesty of Urbpolis, even Thaddeus had to admit that it was a very beautiful place, row upon row of flowers along the sides of the streets that fascinated his apprentices to no end. And yet, a mere fifty miles from Urbpolis, Thaddeus had never felt so far from home. From a young age he’d been told of the evils of Castfor, how they’d aggressively attacked in the past and wanted to replace the Black Wolf with their own emblem, the Red and Gold Sun.
He adjusted his pristine naval uniform and checked to see if he’d properly shaved in a nearby mirror. He would’ve worn his usual coat, but Victor had simply glared at him when he suggested it and Thaddeus had known better than to question that look. He had to admit that he looked even more devilishly handsome than usual, twisting his body to admire the way the blue jacket with gold trimming looked. Then he noticed something and leaned forward, grabbing a small chunk of his brown hair. And there, a grey hair sticking out from his head.
Thirty eight years old and already going grey. He yanked it out and glared at it, willing it to just be a trick of the light. But no, it was an honest to Lupum grey hair. He decided to blame Robert for this, the boy had taken at least a decade off his life and it was fun to blame him for anything that went wrong. Plus the boy had been mocking his age ever since they’d met, he dreaded the laughter that would follow if he actually saw the grey.
He was interrupted by a knock at the door.
“Come in.” he called out and Robert stepped into the room, also immaculately dressed. Thaddeus couldn’t quite believe it. He’d had trouble introducing him to the finer points of bathing for the first two years and yet here he was, everything so perfectly well done. And he looked almost as good as Thaddeus had at that age. Not quite, but fairly close.
“How is it?” Robert asked, his voice full of concern. It was perfectly natural, when Thaddeus first had to dress smartly at an official engagement, he’d pestered his father to check him to make sure he hadn’t messed anything up. With a glance, Thaddeus saw nothing wrong with Robert’s look.
“A-astonishing. You tied your own shoelaces as well?”
“Well...not exactly, I had to have Hralfur help me with that but the rest was all me.”
Speaking of Hralfur, he entered next wearing the same outfit as both Thaddeus and Robert. He wore it well, though the scimitar at his waist probably made him look slightly more intimidating. Behind him, Ryla walked in, wearing a dress that Thaddeus had had to practically force her into wearing. It was nice though, slightly behind the times in terms of fashion because it went down to her knees rather than being one of the long, flowing kind that many rich young ladies were starting to were. It was also much, much less expensive.
“I look ridiculous.” She said, looking herself up and down and shaking her head.
“No need to sell yourself so short. I’m sure loads and loads of rich young men will be queuing up to dance with you.” Robert replied as he adjusted his belt. That got him a glare that could have shattered stone.
With all four gathered, Thaddeus shushed the two of them. As fun as infighting was back home, in this place it would be a very, very bad idea. He pulled all three of them close and checked that every door and window was shut. It would not do to have someone hear about this.
“All right. First of all, don’t do anything that might bring disrepute on the kingdom. I brought you all because I was sure it would make a good impression, especially on King Avelor.”
He looked up again. Still nobody there. Good.
“Speaking of Avelor, you three are not to speak with him. Talk to anyone else, but leave him to me. He’s a Castforian through and through, a snake that will try and trick you with his words. I can handle that forked tongue of his. Got it?”
All three of them nodded and he let out a sigh of relief. Maybe Victor’s faith wasn’t so misplaced after all. Motioning for them to follow, he opened the door and headed out into the corridor.
They came to a door, guarded by two men in the red and gold of Castfor. Thaddeus stepped towards them and was unsurprised to see the spring loaded bayonets release immediately with a metallic screech, grating on his ears.
“Thaddeus Jenkins, Isim’s ambassador. Unarmed.” he glared at them as he spoke and with a nervous glance they relented, pulling their weapons back. Of course, Thaddeus wasn’t really unarmed, he’d put a pistol in his inner pocket and all of the ‘ceremonial’ weapons that Robert and Hralfur were carrying were also deadly. Not that these paranoid fools needed to know that.
The doors swung open, revealing a sight that made Thaddeus raise an eyebrow in surprise. By far, it was the biggest ballroom he’d ever seen, his own one could not even be considered small when compared to this gigantic structure. Hundreds upon hundreds of people were there, feasting from tables filled to the brim with food and drink and in the middle of the room there was a tremendous crowd of people dancing to the music of fiddlers and drums.
“Wow.” He heard Hralfur mutter and he quite agreed. If only Castfor spent it’s wealth on warships instead of wine, Isim’s days would almost certainly be numbered. Fortunately, their king seemed far too busy with merriment to bother with such matters, Thaddeus could see him standing at the highest table, raising a toast with a large number of inebriated men, many of whom seemed about ready to collapse.
Turning to his three apprentices, Thaddeus pointed at Avelor.
“I’ll talk to him. Mingle with the rest of them and try to make small talk. Ryla, speak with me later about anything interesting you learn. If we have to drink as much as they are, we might as well do something before we pass out.”
With that, they drifted apart, merging into the crowd as Thaddeus looked on, an uneasy feeling in his heart. Steeling himself, he pushed past several people on his way to that top table. Fortunately, the crowd had parted and Avelor could be seen leaning back in his chair, observing his party with a smile of satisfaction etched onto that face. His eyes drifted as Thaddeus approached and instantly became slightly wider, which Thaddeus noted with a smug feeling of satisfaction.
My reputation precedes me! Victor will love to hear that I made this fool flinch.
“Captain Jenkins!” Avelor rose from his seat and took Thaddeus’ hand, shaking it eagerly. His smile did seem genuine, so Thaddeus tried his best to smile back, but it felt forced.
“Avelor…Victor sends his happiest regards. He heard that you suffered a nasty fall a few months back and wanted to know how you were getting on. And as you invited him to your party, I thought I’d take up his position.”
“Well, my hip was broken, but it’s healed rather well, thank you very much. I must say that when I received Victor’s letter saying that he wouldn’t be coming I was….heartbroken.” He placed a hand on his heart as he spoke and sighed wistfully. Thaddeus kept his smile, but he wanted to punch this insulting wretch in the face for being so coy about his dislike of Victor. To be fair, the feeling between the two kings was quite mutual.
“Well, he couldn’t come, the Queen is very close to giving birth. You will understand that he wanted to stay.”
“I understand entirely, I remember my own son being born like it was only yesterday. It’s a big moment in a man’s life. Just let him know that the next few years will likely be hell, assuming his kid screams as much as mine.”
“I’ll be sure to do that. Anyway, if you don’t mind, I’ll go ahead and mingle with your guests and drink your alcohol.”
Avelor laughed and slapped Thaddeus on shoulder, he made a mental note to wash that uniform later.
“Of course! I’ll leave you to it then. But before you go, would you like to have breakfast with me tomorrow? I’d be delighted to speak with you somewhere private.” He extended his hand again, but Thaddeus kept his arms by his side and shook his head with a soft laugh.
“Forgive me, Avelor. I intend to fully drink myself into a stupor and I’ll not wake until at least mid-afternoon. I appreciate the offer though, have a wonderful night.”
Thaddeus bowed and quickly hurried away. Anything to get as far away from the head of this coiled snake as possible. Passing a nearby table, he reached down and grabbed a glass of wine, a reward for his troubles and certainly more than Victor would ever have given him. He noticed an open doorway, leading to a room that was lit by a solitary candle. His curiosity was piqued and he headed for that door, pausing on the threshold to look for his apprentices.
He finally found Hralfur, who seemed to be trapped next to one of the pillars that surrounding the rectangular hall by a large group of young ladies, all in dresses that looked as though they cost ten times what Ryla was wearing. Thaddeus stifled a laugh for the poor boy, for these girls he was practically exotic, one of the strange heathen folk whom they had never seen. They seemed to be pestering him with questions and one had slipped her arm into his and was practically pulling him towards the middle of the room.
Robert and Ryla were nowhere to be seen, but he cast his worry aside. After all, the two of them were more than capable to looking after themselves. He walked into the room and shut the door behind him, muffling the music. It was then that he was able to hear something else above it all, the faint sounds of a piano playing. It brought a lot of memories flooding back as he took a sip of his glass of wine. His father had often sat and played piano for him as a child, had even used the same tune that was being played now.
He followed the noise to another open door at the opposite end of the room and emerged into a smaller ballroom, this one poorly lit and much smaller. He could not help but think that this place had far too many ballrooms for its own good, surely one would have sufficed? He turned left as he entered and saw a lone piano, with a boy playing it.
His back was turned as he played and Thaddeus had no intention of stopping him. He leaned on the door frame with his eyes closed, listening to the tune intently. It was almost as good a tune as he remembered, a few minor mistakes here and there but nothing bad enough to ruin it.
He took another sip of wine as the tune reached its climax, ending with the boy running his hands down the keys and ending the song on the lowest note. Just as he remembered, just the way it should have been.
“You play rather well,” he spoke softly. The boy jumped out of his seat and spun around, pressing his back into the piano.
“Who are you and why were you watching me play? If you lay a hand on me, my father will-“
His eyes went wide as Thaddeus stepped into the light.
“Wait. Are you- are you Thaddeus Jenkins?” he stammered, his hands clenching the edge of the instrument.
“Aye, that’s me. Since we’re doing introductions, may I ask your name and why you enjoy playing that tune so very much?” Thaddeus responded, raising his free hand and giving a comforting smile.
“Alexavier, sir. Prince Alexavier. The pleasure is all mine though,” the boy replied, pushing himself off the piano and shaking Thaddeus hand vigorously. And though Thaddeus smiled and responded in kind, he couldn’t help but feel a slight tingling in his stomach. Prince Alexavier, the only son of Alevor and heir to Castfor, was mere feet from the pistol hidden in his jacket. It would be so easy just to-
He’s just a child man!
He pulled his thoughts away from the pistol and focused more on the young man in front of him. He seemed lost for words as he shook Thaddeus’ hand, just staring at him. Clearly he would have to take charge of the situation.
“You didn’t answer my second question. How did you learn to play that little tune and why play it now, when your father invited half the important people in all the civilised world? Shouldn’t you be out shaking hands and faking smiles?”
“I will be playing the piano for the last dance of the evening. I was just getting some practice in beforehand. As well as my fake smiles and handshaking skills.”
As Thaddeus chuckled, Alexavier continued,
“But enough about me, I imagine you have FAR more interesting stories than a mere fourteen year boy does. I want to hear some, especially some of the more outlandish ones.”
He pointed towards the other end of the ballroom, where there was a large door that led outside, the moon starting to shine as it emerged from behind a cloud.
“Walk with me.” The Prince asked and Thaddeus obliged him, still holding the wine glass as he followed him out of the door. They emerged on the skydocks, not half as big as Urbpolis’ version, but still fairly large. As they strolled past row upon row of schooners, Alexavier began to pester him with questions.
“Is it true that you once evacuated an entire company that was trapped in Rivcon, while running a gauntlet of cannon and musket fire?”
“One of my finest moments, actually. The old Sickle lost a propeller and had a hole put in the sails but on she went and saved a lot of lives.” Thaddeus replied, with a wistful sigh as he took another sip from his glass.
“What about the one where you seduced the King of Rivcon’s wife and got her to poison him?”
He almost spat out the wine at that and glared at Alexavier, who looked mildly amused. Thaddeus stopped walking and, though keeping his voice low, shouted at him.
“Seduced the King of- what idiot fed you that little bit of nonsense?”
“Actually, father brought it up one day over dinner.” The prince shrugged at him and kept on walking. They were now reaching the end of the docks and above them loomed a frigate, a fairly new one at that.
Thaddeus reminded himself to continue thinking up insults about Alevor. In the meantime, he continued to protest his innocence.
“I did NOT seduce his wife! I’ve never even been close to his wife. I don’t even know her name! What kind of stories does your father make up about people from Isim?”
“You wouldn’t want to hear what he once accused your King of doing. Anyway, I wanted you out here because I wanted to show you this.” He pointed to the frigate and stared expectantly at Thaddeus. He stared at the ship for a moment, sizing it up. Then he chuckled at Alexavier and patted him on the shoulder.
“Not a bad ship, boy. Yours, I’m guessing.”
“Yes. I asked for it so I could…well, I suppose follow in your footsteps.”
“That’s stupid.” Thaddeus replied instantly, glaring at him. He drained his glass and walked over to the side of the skydocks, holding it over the edge of the thirty foot drop. It was a stupid thing to say and now presented the perfect opportunity to put this upstart in his place.
“What are you doing?” Alexavier asked, suddenly quite nervous.
“Let me explain. Say that my deeds are the wine that once filled this glass. Every story tastes slightly differently, but this particular glass makes it unique. Now say that the glass is my body and watch it fall.”
He dropped the glass over the side and about three seconds later it smashed onto the grassy hill below, breaking into a hundred pieces. He spoke once more, this time quieter and softer.
“Ultimately, if a different glass is used for the same sort of wine, it will never taste the same and certainly will never taste as good. So take this little lesson, the only lesson I’d ever give to a Castforian, to heart. If you want to surpass me, don’t seek to follow me, because nobody will ever be as good as me at what I do. Do you really think that this heap of sticks would impress me? Do you really think a mere fourteen year old could ever hope to surpass me in my own little kingdom, the sky itself?”
Alexavier stood dumbfounded, his mouth slightly open,his tongue well and truly tied. Thaddeus felt that smug satisfaction once more. If he couldn’t mock Avelor openly, he could at least chastise his son’s hubris. Then he was thrown right back into reality as Alexavier marched forward and stood toe to toe with Thaddeus, glaring up at him despite being almost two heads shorter. And he spoke, calmly but with a fire behind his eyes that surprised even Thaddeus.
“Is that a challenge, Captain Jenkins?”
“No. It was a warning. You will never be as good as me and that’s the end of it.” Thaddeus replied sternly. These personal honour types were irritating as anything he’d ever had to deal with. He’d just started getting Hralfur to stand quietly if someone even breathed something disrespectful to him, and now this upstart wanted to fight because of the hard, painful truth.
Yet it was a truth that he seemed to want to ignore, he removed a lone glove and threw it at Thaddeus’ feet.
“I’ll train myself, my crew and my fleet. And one day, I’ll be back to get that glove back from your cold, dead hands. Have a good day.”
He walked away, hands in his pockets, with a scowl on his face. Thaddeus couldn’t resist throwing one final line at him.
“Stick to playing the piano boy. You’ll be so much happier there than you will be trying to fight me.”
He kept on walking, disappearing into the night as Thaddeus stared after him, chuckling into his hand. Had he been a bit harsh? Perhaps, but that boy’s determination had been unexpected, to say the least. It would be best to stop him before he became strong enough to challenge him. Because, as much as Thaddeus wanted to believe otherwise, he saw a little of himself in that boy and that frightened him, chilled him to the bone. For if one Thaddeus Jenkins could change the world, what might two manage to accomplish?
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Praefectus
Re: The Skymaster's Shadow (Updated: 20/12/15) New updates every Sunday!
Frothy Goodness
to rede I me delyte
Like Alwyn, I hope the exams went well.
Finished Chapter 4 and looking forward to reading more when I get the chance - loved hearing more about the history that went into Stormy Skies, whilst at the same time reading this as its own story. Great job.
Protector Domesticus
Originally Posted by The Triumph of Rome
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