PreCursive

  Appearing the doorway of the tent was a very….rge man, to be generous. And all the weight on his frame didn’t appear to be muscle, either. From the massive sneer on his piggish features, I’d say he retty unpleasant person altogether. Dressed iravagant bcks and reds, the man was wearing a furry robe over his breeches and tuni his bald head was a circlet with a single rge ruby set into it.

  Surely this wasn’t Prince Oskar. If he was, I weep for the future of this try.

  Following behind him were what I could only call flunkies, clearly attached to the big guy from the way they dogged his heels. I could tell right away that they were unimportant, from the puffed-up looks on their faces. I disregarded them though as soon as the persoered the tent.

  Now this was obviously the Prince. And not just because everyone on our side of the table stood up at his entrance, which was a bit of a surprise.

  Who could only be Prince Oskar was a young-looking man to my eyes. He couldn’t have been much older than Walter egging him at around perhaps sixteen. He had long, light blonde hair bound into a low ponytail with a tasteful circlet resting on his brow, inid with seven small emeralds. Dressed in greens and reds, which I uood were the colors of not only the Kingdom but of also his house, he didn’t seem quite as…try-hard as the uy. I noticed that he had a fairly strong-looking longsword belted at his waist.

  Following after him was what looked to be some kind of scribe, as well as a fairly intimidating-looking knight cd head to toe in pte mail. I'm guessing he was the Prince’s bodyguard.

  The Priook the time to observe us in silence for a moment, while everyone ient stayed silent and standing. After a moment, he nodded slightly and sat in the ter chair, directly across from Grey. That seemed to be the cue for everyone else to sit. The fat directly to the Prince’s right, while one of his flunkies sat o him. The scribe sat o the Prince, while flunky wo visibly filed about for a sed, being uo sit on the side of the table with his obvious beor. Uhe unimpressed eyes of the rest of the tent, he sheepishly took the st chair o the scribe.

  The knight simply took a mirr position to my own, standing behind the Prince. Somehow, our eyes locked across the table. I saw his narrow at me.

  Yeah, whatever guy. I’d dealt with big armored dudes like you before. And that was before I got a new skill that could deal with pte better.

  Our side of the table sat down shortly after the Prince’s party did. The sileurned for a moment as everyone was visibly sizing each other up. Grey broke it first.

  “Greetings, Prince Oskar,” He said, ining his head slightly to the Prince. “It’s been some time since we st met. I trust you’ve been well?”

  The Prince finally spoke, log eyes with Grey. “Well enough, Headmaster. Or should I call you Grand Marshal, sidering the circumstances?”

  Grey smiled slightly. “Either or, Yhness. I sider both equal in my eyes.”

  The fat noble snorted out loud at his words. Grey didn’t even blink, much less look at the man. He just tinued speaking to the Prince.

  “I must say, we were quite surprised to discover you were currently in reside the Citadel of Helstein, Yhness. The King must have quite the fiden you, to be stationed so close to the front.” Grey said, folding his hands over each other oable.

  I didn’t blink, even though I had to parse the hidden meaning in his words.

  Ah…

  I see.

  Grey was trying to fish for firmation if the King was actually dead. Until now, we had only assumed he was. Depending on what they said, that could tell us a bit about the internal politics of the Loyalists.

  Prince Oskar’s face hardened slightly. “I’m afraid that my father the King has…stepped down from his position, Headmaster. He has named my brother, Prince Aric, as the regent due to his failih. Only until the current crisis is settled, of course. At that point, my brother will i the .”

  I couldn’t be the only ohat heard the bitterness in his voice, right?

  Judging by the awkward shuffling from some members across the table, I wasn’t.

  Iing, iing.

  “My dolences, Yhness,” Grey ined his head. “Your Father ruled…better than some had, in your line. I truly hope that the in line will rule with a fair, even, and egalitarian hand.”

  The fat noble scoffed, speaking for the first time. “Enough with the pleasantries. Let’s get this farce over with. We all know how this is going to end.”

  The noble wasn’t able to see the Prince’s face twist slightly in disgust, but our side of the table sure did. Meanwhile, I saw it as Grey’s entire demeanor ged.

  “Duke…Graden,” He said, as frostily as I had ever heard from him. It was barely detectable, but the tent darkened ever so slightly. “I ot tell you how eager I am to see you. You see, I have quite an important question to ask you.” Grey leaned forward in his chair, his bd silver eyes visibly glowing with a restrained fury. “Were you involved in the plot to abduct me? Did you sell your soul to the Serpent of Savoy?”

  I saw a bead of sweat break out on the forehead of this ‘Duke Graden’. I remember that name. He had been named as one of the main beors behind the Loyalists, way ba Hollow Hill.

  Graden s Grey. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, you fossil. I haven’t had any dealings with House Savoy in years.”

  Grey kept his intense, narrowed gaze on Graden for nearly a minute, causing the o visibly sweat. When that minute , he gnced over at Honoka briefly. The woman shook her head briefly at her old friend. Grey let out a long sigh, sitting ba his chair and visibly rexing. “I see. I should have expected you didn’t have the guile for such a plot. Now then,” He said, visibly dismissing the noble. “I’m assuming you have been granted and of the Herztalian forces arrayed here at Helstein, Yhness?”

  As Graden sputtered at Grey brushing him off, Prince Oskar ined his head. “Only my own forces, Yhness. I have not been granted and of Helstein’s,” He said, gng over at Graden for a moment. Oskar focused ba Grey. “But my main goal for calling this meeting wasn’t to discuss battle. Rather, it was to speak to you. To all of you.” He said, letting his gaze fall on the assembled leadership of the Uprising. Everyo Grey and Honoka straightened up under his gaze. They just met his with either an inquisitive or baze. “I do not believe that a formal dialogue has ever been attempted with the leadership of this rebellion. The only thing that has been received are decrations of i. To that end, I ask you. What are the official goals of your…Uprising?”

  I could see Grey’s eyebrows visibly rise at the question, while each side of the table reacted iher shock.

  Or hope.

  “Obviously they want to depose the gover, Yhness!” Graden burst out blusteringly. “They wish to tear down the very throne in their rebellion!”

  “Be silent, Lraden,” Prince Oskar said evenly, not looking away from Grey. “I was not speaking to you.”

  The fat Duke of Helsteied like he’d been spped, but heless still quieted down.

  “Well,” Grey said slowly. “I do not believe it is my pce to ahat question, Yhness. I am not officially the leader of the Uprising. Overall military and falls to my sed in the Order of the Eclipsed Dawn,” He Leopold, causing the massive leonine man to bow his head briefly. Grey then shifted his gaze to Woodrick. “While young Woodrick here is the elected leader of Sculpted, and the overall leader of the Uprising. It would be best to let them ahat question.”

  Prince Oskar shifted his gaze to Woodrid Leopold. The two of them exged a gnce, before Leopold ined his head. Woodriodded and looked back at the Prince. “Well met, Prince Oskar. As the Grand Marshall said, I am Woodrick, and I speak for the Uprising and Sculpted both. Our demands, when boiled down, are simple. We wish for freedom.”

  Prince Oskar folded his hands together and tilted his head inquisitively. “I have gathered that much, at the very least. However, what does that mean in practice? Where do the Sculpted see themselves ialian society?”

  “As equals, of course,” Woodrick said with a charismatic smile. As he spoke, I could see the wooden man begin to get more animated in his movements. “To that end, it has always been our iion to force the House of Lords to the table and reize all Sculpted people as Herztalian citizens.”

  “And was violeruly necessary to achieve these goals, ander Woodrick?” The Prince asked with a raised brow. “This rebellion has torn the Kingdom apart.”

  “If you recall, Yhness,” Woodrick said pointedly. “Our first recourse was not to rebel against the . The Sculpted people protested aioned for months and months, following the Sed Initialization. We were rebuffed time and again by both the House and the King. Our plight was reized as righteous by many in the Kingdom, and thus we received a great deal of support.” He Leopold.

  “If peaceful resolution is impossible,” Noctura piped in that point. This was the first time I had ever heard the eak, and I was surprised at how smooth and intelligent she sounded. I had gotten the impression that she was more of a battlefield ander. Clearly, I was wrong. “Then violent revolution bees duty. Yhness, the demanded servitude of the Sculpted had bee a de-facto institution of svery. Not only is that immoral, but it is, in fact, illegal. The 2187 Procmation of Oe outwed the practice within the Kingdom of Herztal. Uhe w, all those who have been found to ensve another within its borders are to be senteo impriso for han five years, and an apanying fine of five hundred golden s.”

  One of Graden’s toadies cleared his throat. “In point of fact,” He said in a nasal voice, drawing the tent’s attention. “That w has very specific w about those who ot be ensved. It specifically mentions the sapient races that were known to us at the time. Those being humans, dwarves, gnolls, elves, antium, orcs, and goblins. The ‘Sculpted’ are not mentioned in the Procmation, and are nnized uhe rotected from svery.”

  “That,” Grey said purposely. “Is a teicality. As one of two people in this tent who was there when that ritten, I tell you that it has been amended in the past. Initially, the Procmation did not mention elves as being protected from svery, given their general antipathy to everyo was only after several decades of very violent elves being forcibly ehat the dated to include them in that prote. Granted, it was only after many had escaped a on violent rampages, but the point stands. Besides,” He spread his hands wide. “Are the Sculpted not the collective children of Humanity? By creating them, we have a responsibility to their being. In that sense, could they not be sidered merely aension of humanity? As a Mother births a child, so too could Man be sidered to have birthed the Sculpted.”

  “Weak sophistry,” Graden snorted derisively. “I don’t sider any of these…pieces of farm equipment to be my children.”

  “Enough!” Prince Oskar burst out, sounding frustrated for the first time. He started drumming his fingers oable, frowning. “Enough. I have heard yuments, and I ot deny there is some merit to them.”

  “But Yhness!” Graden excimed, sounding shocked.

  Prince Oskar rounded on him, looking furious. “Not another word, Lraden! I have seen how you treat those Sculpted that are still residing in your city, and I have already protested it during my time here! It does not matter what the Sculpted were anymore! Yes, they may have started their existence as ‘farm equipment’, as you so eloquently put it. But they are not any longer! I ot have a versation with a garden hoe. I ot share a meal with the rake or the plow. No,” He said, standing up from his chair. His scribe, who had been dutifully doting every word said sihe meeting started, scrambled to his feet as well. I noticed that he didn’t stop writing on his clipboard, though. The knight that had been quiet up to this point straightened up. “I’m afraid that this is the time that I decre my iions.”

  Uhe shocked eyes of everyone ient, Prince Oskar and his retinue walked around the table to stand on our side of it. Wheopped, he stood on my left directly behind Grey. The knight and scribe settled behind us.

  Prince Oskar y a hand on Grey’s shoulder, to the disbelief of Duke Graden. “As of this moment, I, Prince Oskar of Herztal, offer my full support to the Uprising.”

  Hoo boy.

  That’s going to piss some people off.