"Why has General Guinevere not received aid?" Antares mouthed it slowly in hopes Omiros would be able to understand better. The weight behind his words echoed through the room with a level of authority not heard since the late King Barranagan himself. The king-to-be had asked a question and it demanded an adequate response. "You talk of all this money Iliad has accrued over the years, yes? Yet Guinevere has been locked in a stalemate at Hightower for two years now, without reinforcements or aid."

  "From what I have been able to gather, her army has been forced to take from the neighboring villages and towns. Which is reserved for only the most extreme of cases. So again, why is the daughter of the king, a general, not sent aid?" Antares rubbed his temple, hoping to distract himself from sleep.

  "Um well you see," began Omiros looking back towards Daimion.

  Antares tapped his finger on the table.

  "No, no, do not look at him. Look at me. You were eager to speak for him before."

  "Well, the efforts to retake Hightower from the Nephilim have gone longer than we expected. We had hoped lad- General Guinevere would have had an overwhelming victory already." Omiros finished.

  "What do you mean 'hoped'?" asked Antares

  Omiros sported a confused look.

  "You mean to tell me you sent one of our youngest generals to retake Hightower, the Hightower and all you have sent her over the years is hope?" he chuckled, yet he was not amused.

  "We had given her the necessary funds."

  "Yes I understand, for a year's worth, but had she not sent letters or a Blue Moon Butterfly asking for more aid?"

  "She... she did."

  "So you did nothing?" asked Antares.

  "Antares you see, the issue is that yes profits have increased throughout Iliad but we are currently stretched throughout the realm dealing with other issues." Daimion chimed in.

  "Then why not use the royal treasury?" Antares offered.

  There was a moment of silence as Daimion and his fellow allies exchanged glances between themselves. Antares turned to Casspien who had diligently been sitting there quietly and turned back to the group.

  "You see... The royal treasury is a bit empty." Daimion could not bring himself to look at his brother's face as he muttered those words. For the first time showing shame.

  "What do you mean a bit empty? How much is a bit?" Antares switched his focus between Daimion and Omiros waiting for an answer.

  That is when lord Aias chimed in.

  Clearing his throat. "Empty enough that we had to borrow two hundred and fifty thousand gold coins... from the Golden Company. In your fathers name... my liege."

  "Did my father know?"

  "No."

  There was a moment of silence that felt all consuming. None could meet Antares' gaze, even still it was not as though the prince was looking at any of them. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. The first thought that came to mind was that he was glad he had not asked Typhon to attend the meeting. People would have died. The second thought that entered his mind was that of the Golden Company. Perhaps the greatest example of human greed. The largest and only bank in all of Aurum, situated in the pacifist kingdom of Neith ruled by its pious king, Edward Vezimeer. They alone control the entire flow of money throughout Aurum and her various kingdoms. Thousands of years ago when the realms were once more thrown into a constant state of war, merchants disillusioned by the consequences of it banded together and sought refuge from the bloodshed. The only realm that offered such peace was Neith, a land where violence was not permitted. There they begged the then King Coltard for protection, and in kind he granted them lands within his realm.

  Although the merchants had left all they had behind to escape war, they did not leave behind their penchant for opportunity. In Neith they quickly realized the freedom they were able to operate in and before long managed to found a merchant guild that would come to be known as The Golden Company. From within the safe borders of their new home, golden arches stood tall leading to a truly magnificent structure that seemed to touch the very skies itself. Truly a work of art like no other, even Stygians themselves marveled at its sheer size and scale. A personification of their endless wealth, they could operate throughout the realm lending and assisting those who could afford to pay. For a merchant there is no time more profitable than war and the Golden Company took advantage of it. Using Coltard's naivety they managed to amass enough wealth within a century that rivaled the other 9 realms combined. King Coltard's name is praised within the hallowed golden halls of the Company's massive bank and even within Neith. But to the rest of Aurum, Coltard was nothing more than a fool who allowed rats to dig their claws into his kingdom, for many believe the true rulers of Neith are the company and not the royal family for even pacifists require coin.

  What made the company so formidable was not their wealth or their ability to buy an army at a moment's notice, no, there was no central figure to rule. It is difficult to ascertain who the original creator of the company was for not even the Golden Company's own records have no one single person, instead it is a cabal of many, for they believed this unity would be their greatest strength and it has been for all this time.

  After all this time Antares thought, the Golden Company had finally gotten their claws within Iliad. Through no effort of their own, for the royal family, the Stygian royal family to borrow gold was a disgrace far too great to ignore. He did not have to ask, he knew only those present here were aware of the truth. If such a thing were ever to be made public, the consequences would be far too severe and Iliad would be further torn asunder. But what bothered him most of all was the thought of Iliad not being able to pay off her debts. The Golden Company may be a guild full of merchants, but their power and influence were not to be taken lightly.

  "How long do we have to repay? He asked softly.

  No one wished to speak except the Lord of Grain.

  " Two seasons... possibly four if we can ask for an extension with a higher interest rate."

  "And you are?" Antares said, turning to him.

  He was an older man, older than Omiros. His eyes were filled with contempt for the prince, it made Antares smile. With just a single look Antares knew this man, had no fear of him. Good, he thought. It would make their conversation far more interesting. Men who were not afraid often revealed more than those too scared to speak.

  "Aldios, your lordship."

  Antares did not know of him.

  "Have we met before Lord Aldios?" Antares asked.

  "Yes, but it was not a meeting that either of us would remember."

  Aldios had an air of superiority around him reserved only for members of the Stygian royal family. That much was evident the moment Antares walked into the room. Outside of Casspien he was the first to notice his approach. He wore the standard attire reserved for members of the royal family yet he was in no mourning. Silver and white dominated his clothing. He looked as elegant as he must have felt. His face was hard and presumptuous. Everything about him was meticulous from his braided hair wrapped around tightly behind his head down to the fine pieces of jewelry that brilliantly shined on his fingers. His eyes were filled with the same sunset colors that Stygians held, but far more sunken than most, which gave it even an even brighter glow. He was clean shaven except for a long goatee that had been braided and bound together by gold. Aldios' style could not be questioned, he was a representation of Stygian elegance all humans aimed to mimic.

  "Yet you seem to," retorted Antares.

  Aldios scoffed and looked ahead.

  "You do not seem to be bothered by borrowing from the Golden Company?" asked the prince.

  "Why would I allow myself to be bothered by humans?" Aldios looked as though acknowledging human's caused him pain.

  "You are not bothered by not being able to pay back such a large amount of money?"

  "I never said we could not pay. We borrowed money to cover Guinevere's failure at Hightower. But we will pay it back." Aldios said.

  Antares rubbed his chin, he thought of how best to phrase his next point, he would not let the slight on his sister go. But this was good, from his conversation with Guinevere he already surmised the reason she did not receive aid was because they deemed her war a failure. But now he had verbal confirmation from those in power. None at the table seemed to see Aldios' mistake, none except Antares and Daimion.

  "What Lord Aldios is trying to say, the failure to capture Hightower. Not of Guinevere herself," Daimion added.

  Aldios was now aware of his mistake, but it was too late.

  "So you plan to increase tax collection and the cost of grain throughout Iliad to pay back the Company don't you?" Antares ignored Daimion's comments and leaned in closer to Aldios.

  For the first time in the room, Aldios showed an expression he had not made in over a century. Genuine shock.

  "How did you-!?" barked the Lord of Grain.

  Antares threw his arms up in defense.

  "Oh come now it is not hard to draw such a conclusion. It is an effective tactic that has been used time and time again throughout the nine realms. Quite honestly It is a good plan, though I will say... It is very human of you Lord Aldios, praying on the weak."

  Aldios stood up enraged. "How dare you!" he yelled.

  "Sit. Down."

  The air in the room became unbearably heavy. It was as though pressure was flowing from every corner of the room and uniformly pressing down on them. The lord of the kings council felt as though they were in grave danger, the feeling one felt looking at a beast mere inches away. Daimion grabbed the edge of the table to stop himself from completely falling over. He had felt this pressure only a few times before in his life, memories flooded his mind of his father. The other lords looked visibly shaken by the sudden change of pressure, none so more than Aldios. For he bore the full ire of the Lord of War sitting in the corner. Admittedly he had forgotten what it felt like to be in the presence of such power, such overwhelming power that had no end in sight. He had always carried himself with an air of superiority even among his own kin. His life had been one of staying in the background, observing and using information to further push his desires. In this moment he remembered why he chose such a path, for to draw the attention of monsters like that, was to draw the attention of death itself. He could not even comply with the order given as he was unable to move, his body refused to listen to him for it was completely terrified of taking any action. To him it had felt as though he had turned to stone, he braced himself for what was to come.

  "Enough of that Cass. I was only teasing him." Antares waved his hand at Casspien in a mocking manner. "Forgive him my lords, Lord Casspien is not a morning person." Antares said bowing his head towards the other lords.

  They all muttered words of acceptance in some form or another and all began to regain their composure. Antares turned to Casspien who folded his arms in disapproval. The atmosphere in the room returned to normal. This council had reached its breaking point, there was no point for further discussion.

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  "Perhaps we call for a break now, yes? I still have matters about my coronation to attend to and all that. Thank you my lords, this was... insightful." Antares had already risen and bowed.

  All lords quickly followed suit and shuffled their way out except for Daimion.

  "Brother, would you like me to stay?"

  "Oh no That is alright, go do what it is you... normally do Daimion. If I need you, I will call for you." Antares said with a smile on his face.

  Daimion looked at his brother, then looked at Casspien and meekly left the room, closing the door behind him. Grygor and Aias had already made their way in the opposite direction deep in conversation with each other. In front of him Omiros and Aldios waited impatiently, and they began their walk.

  "Call a meeting of the faction and the humans too, we must move up our plan," Aldios said coolly.

  "Wait what? Why?" demanded Daimion.

  "You fool, he knows," Aldios responded harshly.

  "You would dare speak to me lik-" Daimion began before he was interrupted by Omiros.

  "Enough. Lord Aldios, how do you know?" Omiros asked worriedly.

  They walked in silence for a time, moving as far away from that room as they could possibly get.

  "He did not once ask Grygor or Aias any questions." Aldios could no longer hold his disdain for it was written all over his face.

  "He knows both Grygor and Aias, they served underneath my father," retorted Daimion.

  "Precisely my point. He should have relied heavily on them to fact check anything we said, yet not once did he even look at them. His focus was entirely on the three of us."

  Daimion stopped, shocked by the realization of his brother possibly knowing what it was he was after. Both Aldios and Omiros turned to look at him.

  "This-this is too soon, we are not ready. This is treason."

  Aldios grabbed Daimion's arm and shoved him into a narrow pathway.

  "You fool, how can you so casually talk of such things. Do you not understand where we are? Do not let these marbled walls fool you, they have ears. Vipers lurk around every corner," Aldios barked in his face. "For five years we have cultivated partnerships with certain people in preparation for this. Do not falter now!"

  Daimion could not hide his concern, his disdain for his brother was well known, yet even though he was the face of this faction, he never once thought the idea of treason was possible. For it was such a foreign concept. He had been told time and time again his brother was a drunkard and a whoremonger who spent his days in Kish of not sound mind. But that was not the man he saw in that room when he looked into his eyes. For those were the same eyes his father always had, and it worried him.

  "But we are talking of killing Antares," whispered Daimion.

  "Yes, we have painstakingly gathered the men to do it. All of us here know, he is unfit to rule, damn what he did five years ago. I will not allow our people to be ruled by a man who is so willing to accept humanity. We are Stygians, we are superior, we do not need the nine realms, they need us!" Aldios had a wild look in his eye.

  "A-Aldios is right, Daimion. Do you not want your family protected? Your brother being king means he is free to wed off your daughter to whomever he wishes. Under the guise of peace," chimed Omiros.

  "Exactly, she is only seven years old and he will throw her to a human like a piece of meat. You would do the same in his shoes, you cannot afford to hesitate," demanded Aldios.

  "All we do is for Iliad, for Stygians," Omiros added.

  "He may smile in your face and laugh and call you brother but he does not see you as an equal, you think you will remain Lord Regent on his council? Blame will fall to you when the truth gets out." Aldios added, letting go of Daimion, believing this final nail would spur him to action.

  Daimion moved further into the pathway. He wished to see Cirella, she would know what to do.

  "I-I need to speak with Cirella," he pleaded.

  Aldios slammed his fist against the wall.

  "Ah! Damn it all, must you speak to her about everything? You are the husband are you not? It was you we selected to be the leader of the faction, it was you who wished to return us to the old ways. Decide here and now what we must do!" yelled Aldios.

  Daimion was unsure, this was different from anything he had to have done before. He had never once given such a command, instead chose to delegate to those lower than him. His action here today would be recorded in history for centuries to come. What they wished to do would undoubtedly bring a great shift to Iliad and possibly Aurum. For if he were to take his brother's life he would be the unquestioned ruler of Iliad, he would be Lord Regent no more, he would be king. He thought of his family, he thought of Guinevere and he thought of Anastasia. He wondered what they would say if they knew. But there was no time for that now, it was time for action. He wiped the sweat off his brow.

  "Alright," he began. "I... understand, for the safety of my family, for the future of Iliad, Antares cannot sit on the throne," Daimion concluded.

  Both Omiros and Aldios shook their heads in approval.

  "Good, good you understand. Leave it to us. It will happen after the coronation. That will give us enough time to gather even more allies during the celebrations leading up to it. I already have some assurances from some cousins of my own. There may be a Lord of War or two who will support us," finished Aldios.

  All three of them recomposed themselves and began once more on their way. What they set out to do was not something unique or even uncommon. Time and time again rarely is the transition of power from one monarch to the next such a smooth process. But there was a time within Iliad, kings and queens were chosen with very little opposition. Yet such things seemed to become more infrequent the more humans were allowed to carry more and more titles, thought Aldios. For him, he blamed them, he had always blamed them for as long as he could remember. They had infected his people with their way of thinking with their propensity to reject the status-quo. No longer will he allow it, for in his eyes humans are best as servants. Iliad will return to the old ways and in time all of Aurum would fall under Stygian rule once again. Their first obstacle was the pretend-king. Antares represented everything Stygians shouldn't be, Aldios did not care that he was a Lord of War, he knew the stories and had firsthand experience during the great civil war 200 years ago. But they were killed in droves back then and once again they could be killed. He would see his glorious people return to their old ways.

  "So what do you think?" asked Antares relaxing further into the chair.

  "It was a good thing you did not ask Typhon to show up." Casspien got up from the corner and sat next to his dearest friend.

  "I thought the same thing," Antares said smiling.

  "Typhon is not known for his subtlety and I doubt he could stomach such insults. I barely could," Casspien furrowed his brow.

  "It is to be expected, I am not necessarily seen in favorable light, by neither human nor Stygian right now." Antares began to roll the orb in between his fingers. "Besides, this was good, I needed confirmation."

  "Guinevere told me she would speak to you about the realm. Even so, your grasp of thing's she wouldn't be aware of was impressive. How did you know what they were doing these last five years?" asked Casspien.

  "I learned a great many things in exile brother." responded Antares.

  "Such as?"

  Antares gazed into the orb as though he could see a secret deep within it that called to him. "No one knows more about this kingdom than whores. Truly it is a profession like no other, men so eager to speak for the praise and admiration of a woman or a man is as intoxicating as the flesh itself."

  "You learned all of that from drinking and having sex?" Casspien raised an eyebrow.

  The two men shared a laugh. This had been the first time in five years that either of them had sat down together and spoken like so. Their bond ran deep, deeper than blood. Together with Typhon and Nykos they made up the youngest Lords of War Iliad and by extension Aurum had ever seen. They had been through far too much and yet neither of them said it but in that moment both of their thoughts went to Nykolas. Both desperately wished he was still here. The guilt was evident on Antares face. His actions unforgivable to himself.

  "We do not have to talk about it now. Or tomorrow, or even the day after that. When you are ready, both me and Typhon will be ready to listen Antares. Always." Casspien said reassuringly with a soft smile on his face.

  Antares could not bring himself to speak, Casspien's words made him feel so incredibly happy yet so sad. He and Typhon truly were people he could not live without. They represented the good in him, the future of Iliad that he wished for both humans and Stygians. He would do right by them, always. They were a part of him as much as he was of them. Antares' stomach growled, breaking the silence.

  "Let us go eat, it is already midday." Antares said standing.

  "Typhon should be up by now," Casspien responded, grabbing for the door.

  "He better be, if Lady Alena finds out he is still asleep he is going to be forced to help out with the coronation."

  The guards saluted them as they passed and they made their way down the hall towards the lower levels to where the dining hall was situated. The quickest way there required them to use the largest corridors and thus every few meters they ran into nobles and servants all greeting them and congratulating Antares on his appointment as king. This was not something he missed and Casspien enjoyed that it made the young prince uncomfortable. But Antares couldn't help but notice that decorations for his coronations had already begun to appear, throughout the palace as they walked he was sure Lady Alena was behind it. It had not been a full day and she was already hard at work, there would still be a few days until everything was ready but she did not waste any time.

  "That reminds me," Casspien turned to him. "You have yet to pick the manner in which your coronation will take place. Have you given any thought to it?

  "I would be lying if I said I had not. But it is a surprise so wait and see," Antares winked slyly.

  Casspien was curious to know what he would pick, for when King Barranagan had his coronation it was remarkably quick not lasting longer than a few minutes, but knowing Antares it wouldn't be anywhere that short, the elders nor Lady Alena would allow him. As they walked down another flight of stairs they made it back down to the first level, and the sight that awaited them was of various people moving about frantically from one place to another. The crowd of people all noticed him and immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed deeply for a few moments and then a woman barked orders and everyone quickly returned to their tasks. The palace had always been busy but even this was far more than they expected. Yet in the crowd of people propping up flowers and hanging banners, there stood a titan of a man with blazing red hair holding statues. Next to him, a woman barking orders on where to move the statue. Both of them could not help but laugh. As they approached them, Typhon gave them a look of utter desperation while holding two stone statues in his hands.

  "Good day to you lady mother," Antares bowed

  "Good day Lady Alena," followed Casspien.

  Lady Alena turned around and looked at the men.

  "Ah boys good, you are here!" she said beaming. "I thought you were at the king's council?"

  "I ended it much earlier, I heard all I needed to hear," stated Antares.

  "You had your first king's council and you did not invite me?" bemoaned Typhon putting down the statues.

  Lady Alena shot him a look. "Did I say you can put those down?"

  Just as he put down the statues he quickly picked them up and bowed in forgiveness.

  "Typhon you sleep much too long when you drink. It was not anything special ," Antares said patting him on the shoulder.

  "It is true. Besides, it is not like you would have contributed anything worthwhile to the discussion," added Casspien.

  "Lady Alena, may I hit Lord Casspien with the statues?" asked Typhon.

  "You may not. That statue is of the patron mother Delilah Xerxes and her daughter Venus. I will have you clean the entire royal stable, four times if there is so much as a scratch on her."

  "... Yes my lady," Typhon glared at Casspien. Casspien ignored him.

  "Where are you going, my little boys?" asked Alena.

  "We wanted to go to the dining hall to eat. The king-to-be skipped breakfast," responded Casspien.

  "You are both free to join us," added Antares.

  There was a sparkle in Typhon's eye. He had not had the opportunity to eat anything yet for he had slept in and Lady Alena woke him and put him to work as punishment. He was about to speak but knew better, despite her appearance Lady Alena was a viper and caution needed to be used when dealing with her. He had fought some of the most dangerous people Aurum had to offer, fought in wars where victory was near impossible. Yet his greatest opponent was the queen consort of the late great king Barranagan. It was a foe he could not beat with simple tactics. He waited for her answer with baited breath.

  "Hmm I suppose so. It would be the first time in a long time the four of us shared a meal together." Thought Lady Alena out loud. "Hmm yes. I suppose so. Come Typhon."

  "Ye-yes my lady!" Typhon beamed.

  "Are you sure lady Alena, just the three of us might be more pleasant." Casspien added leaning in, yet speaking loud enough so Typhon could hear.

  "Casspien, brother! My dearest friend, who I have not seen in many seasons, would you perhaps not speak? Possibly ever?" Typhon said through gritted smiled teeth.

  "And where would the fun be in that?" asked Casspien, returning the smile in kind.

  "Enough you two, let us go eat. I am hungry." Antares said, rubbing his belly, their fighting making him famished. "Where is Guinevere, she should join us."

  Lady Alena waved her hand in the air. "Oh do not worry about her, she is off training, she eats on her own time. Come lets go, we have much to discuss. Such as the kind of coronation you want. And I absolutely refuse for you to have one like your father did. Do you have one in mind?"

  Antares smiled. "Let us go, I will tell you all about it."

  They made their way towards the dining hall conversing amongst themselves. For the first time since coming back home Antares felt a sense of familiarity, that perhaps things had not changed. But he knew that to not be true, for things had changed more than he could have ever imagined, yet he would deal with that change when it presented itself. But as for now, he would enjoy a nice meal with his family, that little he was owed.