Inside Luxurious halls, servants run from place to place finishing the last preparations for today's event. In the lobby, important and influential figures of the empire gather for today. Today is the day the 15-year-old prince is officially recognized as the next in line for the throne. Today, he will make a promise to the gods about how he will rule as king. But for now, two women gather around the young man, getting him ready for the event.
"Nervous brother?" one of the girls says, coming and braiding herbs into his hair. She's dressed in vibrant reds and yellow-reds, which match her blood red hair running free like an inferno flooding a field with burning light. Emerald irises adorn her eyes like the work of a master dwarven Jeweler.
"We wouldn't blame you," the other says, worried as she finishes applying his ceremonial attire. Her hair is pure white, along with the fairest of skin; her eyes shine like rubies. Next to her sister, they both seemed like the sun and the moon.
"No... I feel calm... I've waited for this day too long to worry," he states, his eyes glazed over as if his mind were elsewhere. "Lily, Rose, today is the day I make a statement that goes against the foundation of this kingdom," he says. Wearing a crown made of dyed herbs, a cape dyed yellow with poison berries, and a sleeveless shirt that exposes his arms. "Let's go," he says, walking out of the room. A servant sees him draw near and announces his arrival.
"Announcing the new man of honor as he makes his debut! Oac Delwolf! Prince of the Valor kingdom!" The nobles turn to look at the young man as he pays them no mind, simply walking to the other end of the room.
A man breaks away from the crowd. The man had blue eyes and wore the greens and browns of the merchant class with brown hair and the emblem of the north wolves on his collar. "Well, now your majesty. Allow me to be the first to congratulate you on your coronation. Soon, I am sure your grace will begin looking for a crown princess to accompany you. If you wish, I have a lovely daughter I could introduce you to." The man stepped aside, revealing a woman wearing a dress made from the rare silks of the Giant Net Spider and the fluffy fur of storm lions, her hair a golden blond with the same deep blue eyes as her father.
"Let me see if I recall. Your daughter has blond hair and your blue eyes," he states.
"Umm, yes?" the man answers confusedly.
"Did then the duke put you up to this?"
"The duke? I don't know what you mean," the man said, turning his head away from the prince.
"You're dressed well. I almost didn't expect you to show yourself," a voice from behind spoke both powerful and authoritative.
"You look much the same, Duke Lucuse Black."
"Tell me, why would you assume I was behind this proposal?" he strokes a thick grey beard with some of his black hair still shining through. His right hand was replaced by a metal hook. A replacement after a canon backfired during one of his sea adventures. His shoulders raised, making the man standing at 6'2" seem even taller at a glance. He's dressed in a Captain's uniform made of thick leather and walks with a slight imbalance meant to stay stable on a ship.
"She's of elven descent, yes? Blond hair is attributed to fortune, so it's sought after, but elves have natural blond hair and feminine beauty. Her dress is made from dangerous beasts that make their homes on islands to the west. Normally, this would show the wealth of the Northern Wolves, but they have no footing in the competition-rich west, so acquiring such materials would be particularly hard. They must have had someone from the West supply them with it. Even then, you could cut off my right hand, and I'd still have enough digits to count the people who could acquire an elf. Lord of the Western Seas, Duke Teak Black."
"..." Teak stares at him, unable to find fault in his logic.
"If you'd excuse me, I have some crucial things to get back to."
"Oh, and what might that be?"
"Well, my sisters and I made a bet on what the nobles would ask of me first. Rose won by guessing a marriage request." Oac points to his sister, who now has a smug look on her face.
"Oh, and what did ye think we were gonna ask for?"
"Well, since Rose guessed marriage, I went with a trade agreement of some kind after seeing how many merchant families were in attendance. Lily guessed a land or border dispute." At the mention of the guesses, the color drained from some of the nobility in attendance.
"Well then, looks like your plans have been foiled again, Grey Beard." A woman walked closer, unlike the other noble ladies, she didn't have a man by her side; instead, she had a dire wolf. "You should stick to the seas, you're much better at it," she had white hair like that of the moon, with crimson eyes. Rather than clothes, she has the pelt of a Fenrir covering... enough of her body.
"Well, all me days at sea help me recognize when I lay eyes upon a fish out of water." Teak's gaze falls upon her with the flames of rivalry.
"Big words from someone shaking in their boots."
"It be me sea legs adjusten if we were out at sea, I'd drown ya like the scuvy dog ya are." Just then, the woman's eyes glance toward Lily, hiding behind Rose.
"What do we have here?" she says, leaning over to look at Lily.
"Uh, uh oh, hello, mother," she says, nervousness painting her face.
"How did I ever give birth to such a timid little puppy?" she say's grasping her daughter's face and mushing her cheeks with her thumbs.
"Mother, please stop."
"Oh, and why should I do that? I'm simply happy to see my lovely daughter after so long. Why shouldn't I be allowed to shower you in my love?"
"Excuse me, Miss Kousa, but I must reclaim my sister if you would be so kind," Rose says, pulling Lily's arm away from the woman.
"No, I don't think I would," Kousa says, grabbing her daughter's other arm. The two women engage in a tug of war over the girl.
"Which of the girls where her daughter again?" the northern wolf merchant asks Teak.
"I gave up trying to figure out." Teak begruges.
Oac, watching the situation unfolding, turns his head back to the elven girl, looking at the dire wolf. "Do you wish to pet him?"
"Oh, umm... yes," the girl stammers shyly.
"Go ahead and try, Fin is about as stubborn as I am." Kousa chimes in.
"Oh, ok." The girl looks at the massive dog sitting before her, staring down at her. The girl raised her hand to the wolf's nose, letting it sniff it. After the dog senses no hostility, she gently brings her hand under his chin and works her way to his ear, scratching it gently. Fin leans into her hand, bringing his head lower for her. he lies down on the ground as she effortlessly picks matting from his thick fur. He gently rolls over, wagging his tail happily as she rubs his belly.
"Fin, what the hell! You're embarrassing me!" Kousa yells.
"Well, I guess it's true that elves descended from the goddess Luna," a new man in yellow and red clothes with red hair appears. He has a goatee and a pointed mustache resembling a three-pronged spear.
"Oh, it's you." Rose greets him with a cold gaze. Finally pulling Lily away from her mother, as Kousa goes over to scold Fin.
"My my, is that any way to treat your grandfather?" the man grins as he approaches. "I wanted to congratulate Oac, but it appears I was a bit late."
"Duke Crape Myrtle, lord of the eastern mountains, your wishes are well received," Oac says politely.
"It looks like we're all here," a man appearing from behind Crape says. He's dressed in white silk, wrapped around him to form breathable clothing. "The capital is colder than I remember."
"Duke Palo Verde of the southern wastes. It is good to see you, grandfather."
"Likewise, my child, I see you've grown into a capable man. How is your father doing?"
"Hura is still bedridden." Oac flinches at the question, clearly unexpecting it.
"You two have never gotten along. Though with his health as bad as it is, it seems you'll become king in the near future." Crape says thoughtfully while stroking his mustache. His words bring everyone to silence, unable to deny his logic.
"I think it would be best if I said my vow now," Oac says, walking to a raised platform. His sisters look to each other before following him. "Greetings, everyone!" Oac says getting the room's attention."First, I would like to thank all of you who took the time to attend in person, as you know, my father, King Hura, lord of battle, had ventured and conquered much of the east until he found both the end of the continent, as well as the elves. Through these conquests, we now control much of the continent, but both our forces and the remaining forces of the ones we have conquered are spread thin over this vast land. As far as I see, this is the perfect time to fulfill a prophecy made long ago. During my time as king, I will lay the groundwork to turn our kingdom into The Empire, a single country that spans across the entire continent. But I do not believe there is enough threat left to earn the title of warrior, so I choose not to pledge myself to the god of warriors, men, and kings, Demascus, but instead to the one who chooses who lives and dies, Digitalis, the god of medicine and herbs, both healing and poisonous. I see no need to fully exterminate the elves and dwarves, as their numbers have been reduced, and by the time they have their next generation, we will have had no less than three. By the time they regain their forces, we will outnumber them too greatly for them to pose a threat," he turns, nodding to his sisters. "After Digitalis saved the life of the mother god, his hands were severed for touching another man's wife and burnt to ash so he could not reattach them." his sisters pull out a large brazer. "The blood he spilt formed the healing herbs, and the ash from his hand made the herbs of poison. He carefully wove himself new hands, his right hand out of the most powerful life-saving flowers, and his left from all those that would bring death. As my offering to him, I plan to burn my hands until the only thing I can hold is a quill pen. The quill pen I will use to sign the documents for The Empire," he turns to the brazer full of fire with cold conviction in his eyes.