Warin
Warin was tired of it all. He had attended daily council meetings for weeks. It felt like that was all he ever did anymore, attend council members, attend meetings with lords, politicians, and other influential members of the Holderness Sector. Lords from dozens of minor sub-systems sworn to the Holderness System itself, as well as the System-lords of Holderness, and even their own vassals. He couldn’t remember the last time he was on the ‘Ice Hammer’, or even off Skyhold for that matter.
Warin was glad that the Holderness Sector was the second least populous sector in the Commonwealth. The Anchorage Sector, and it’s fifteen billion was a close second, but he couldn’t imagine the duties of the Lord of Bloom, and the forty forty billion he ruled over. He was even glad that Holderness was the least populous of the five major systems of Holderness. A hundred, and twenty million kept him busy enough. He let out a sigh, as he thought of yet more meetings he had to finish the day.
The lords of Holderness, be they System-lords, Highlords, Great Lords, or smaller were ever requesting Warin’s time. Lord’s whose’s families had served his own for hundreds of years, and lords which had risen in the chaos of the Great Savage Host, some of those lord’s own ancestors had been part of that great force which had brought down the Kingdom of Umbria, and kill his own ancestor, King Ethel with gruesome torture for her deeds in the death of King Rothgar.
Beth reminded him often it was important to gather their support. That their small fleet of frigates, no matter how proud of it they were, was no match for the System-lords, or even most minor sub-system lords, most even too poor to hold the title of Highlord, let alone System-lord. Warin knew she was right. Even System-lord Geena Ghost of Kratos, the weakest of the System-lord of Holderness fielded a hundred, and twenty eight frigates in her personal forces of the System Fleet of Kratos. That didn’t count the larger screen, and picket starships that often filled the support roles, or the forty six capital starships of the line which would destroy his own ‘Ice Hammer’ like a person swatting a fly.
She was right. Warin knew it was best to gather what support he could. The Fabian Order of Drala might not have been as strong as the System-lords, or even the Highlords, but he knew that even though they had never truly gotten the better of them. They had surprised them, and removed them from small bases of operations in the sub-systems of Holderness, but if even half of the records they had found were correct, they had much more support and strength in the other major systems outside of New Holm where it had all started.
Warin let out another sigh as he looked in the mirror, and fixed his outfit. The council of Holderness could push for another claimant, and force a vote on the matter. Something like that hadn’t happened in years, long before the founding of the Commonwealth, but it was possible. He needed the support of the lords. If the new feeds were correct, he had, and maintained the support of the commons, and even the politicians seemed to offer their support to him, but Warin knew better than to trust the word of a politician.
“You look good,” Beth said as she entered the room, and fixed his tunic.
“I look like a peacock,” Warin grunted as he looked at his wife through the mirror. “Ozma out there?”
Beth shook her head. “Nope, already in the council chambers.”
Warin nodded at his wife, and turned around to kiss her gently. Ozma didn’t allow for much free time. He honestly didn’t know what he would ever do without her, he seemed to control every aspect of his life, and if he were not in some meeting with some lord, she was. Sometimes he wondered if it were him, or her who were to be officially recognized as the Under-lord to his father. Heir to the Highlord-ship of Holderness, the Highlord-ship of Skyhold, Lordship of the Holderness System, and Lordship of the Holderness Sector, and a dozen other minor titles.
“How many?” Warin asked.
“The House of Lord, at last count, was more than five hundred lords, and their heirs,” Beth told him. “The Commons had a full house, and last I heard the House of Elders had every member in attendance.”
Warin nodded again, and smiled at his wife. He found that many of the minor lords of the worlds of the Holderness Sector offered their support easily and gladly. The Great Lords, and Highlords were another matter, and they, along with the five System-lords all held seats in the House of Lords. Still he had more support among them, than he would have expected less than a year ago. His reputation on New Holm, and throughout the northern sub-systems of the sector against the secret cult known as the Fabian Order of Drala, had traveled before him. Even his own resistance to his own father seemed to have garnered him more supporters than it did opponents.
Some of the Highlords, and System-lords which he was able to meet with proved more troublesome. Although he had gained the support of the Highlords of New Holm, and Gategard in the New Holm System, but System-lord Baldric Sundancer of the New Holm System himself had refused to back him. He found many lords of high rank in the system who were not willing to support him outright were also not willing to oppose him unlike Highlord Liddy Keyes, and her allies. She was one of the six Highlords of the Holderness System, and the strongest voice against Warin, and yet supported his own father Lord Ice, and served as one of his advisers.
Many lord’s agreed with System-lord Sundancer. Warin was trouble. Most were smart enough to use other words, but it mostly boiled down to the same thing. The Fabian Order of Drala held no love in the sector for those who knew of it, and it seemed like many knew of it. The Order was an open secret, but they held strong ties, and it was said to be under the protection of the king of the Commonwealth himself.
Warin had made himself a target and targets of the king rarely survived long. Although he had never found proof that linked King Oswald to any of the groups in Holderness that he had hunted down and destroyed. There was enough to prove they had powerful friends inside, and outside the sector.
Warin thought of his short meeting with the powerful System-lord Karth. The one the strongest of his father’s banner-men, and likely one of the strongest System-lords in the whole of the Commonwealth. Lord Karth, and his allies had refused to offer their full support to Warin, but he found that at the council meeting leading up to the official vote they rarely opposed Warin. Be it in the House of Lords or the Great Council of Holderness, it seemed like Warin, and Lord Karth shared similar goals, and more often than not he could count on their votes.
“We should go,” Beth whispered in Warin’s ear, and he let out a deep breath through his nose.
They made their way through the ancient corridors of Skyhold until they reached the Great Council Chambers. The day had finally come, and hundreds of lords filled the council chambers where normally many seats would remain empty or filled by heirs, or representatives of the lords of Holderness. Now those seats were filled with lords in rich clothes, gold, jewelry, and metals on military uniforms. The lords were outnumbered by the Common, the elected members of the House of Commons who outnumbered them three to one. The Great Council Chambers supported all three houses of the parliament of Holderness, along with the small council which handled the day to day operation of the Sector.
Standing out from the rest on the lone high chair in the back of the chamber sat Lord Walter Ice Aegis, on the ancient throne of his ancestors, and former kings of the Old Blood Kingdom of Umbria. He was surrounded with the members of the small council, the heads of the three houses, his main advisers, and members like the Masters of Coins, Laws, Trade, and other important members. It was rare for the Great Council Chambers to be filled, and like today, was often only done for official announcements.
Warin took his seat among the members of the small council of Holderness with his father. Beth joined Ozma with the honorary members, those with no voices like the Fabian Bishops of the Sector which sat on the upper levels overlooking the four sections of government as they joined into one.
Warin watched, and listened as his father went through prompt, and ceremony before bringing up the various daily issues. It must have been an hour or more that passed before they finished, and it was the longer, and shortest time of his life that he could recall, and yet not recall a moment which had passed by.
Lord Walter Ice Aegis stood from the ancient throne, and looked around the room. “Alright,” he said in a calm, steady voice. “We know why we are here.” He looked about the room as the low mutters died down. “For too long we have been without an official Under-lord. Not since…” he cut himself off for a moment and shook his head. “My firstborn is of an age to take on that role which is rightfully his, but it is this council which holds the final say.”
Warin looked about the room. It was half true he knew, by ancient custom, and tradition it was true, but there were also many other ways to bypass the wishes of the council, and the Kings, and lords of family had done so in the past.
“He is too young,” Highlord Keyes said as she stood. “Forgive me lord,” she said to Lord Ice with a bow. “But your son is barely twenty, hardly old enough to take on the role, and responsibilities that being Under-lord require,” she finished to the loud roar of her supporters throughout the large chamber.
Warin couldn’t deny that fact. The Old Blood did not follow the Old Ways, not like the Furse who harassed their sector, and under those ancient rights, he would in fact be to young to take on the role for another five years, and only after service in what they call the Imperial Guard, but the Old Blood had made many other younger members Under-lords, and the precedent had been set.
Lord Karth stood, and the other members quieted down as the aged lord looked around the room, and then set his eyes on Lord Ice. “The boy is young,” he agreed with a nod, and then turned to the lords. “Yet when New Holm was attacked by terrorists,” the lord said, and left out the name of the Fabian Order of Drala, “it was young Warin who took action. Action which saved the life of the Bishop of New Holm,” he said, and looked at Beth as he spoke of her father. “Action which saved countless lives,” he said with a nod.
The chambers filled with the stomp of foots, and low mumbles. Lord Karth held his hand up, and the room fell silent again before he continued. “If one so young can do all that, when the older, and so called wiser can let it happen in their mists, well I say he has proven his right to take on the mantle of Under-lord of Holderness. And I think that we could not ask for an Under-lord who has proven to be more committed to the sector itself.”
Lords stood from their seats, and clapped, and applauded Lord Karth, and looked to Warin. Warin knew the System-lord of Karthmere had a reputation that spread far, and wide, but he would have never guessed how far it could carry until he saw how many lords stood in his favor. The powerful lord looked at Warin, and nodded his head, and Warin returned the exchange.
“Vote!” A chorus rose among those in attendance, and Warin watched as the Great Council of Holderness approved his appointment to Under-lord by a margin of more than four to one in his favor, and he looked to the System-lord of Karthmere again, and gave him a respectful, and thankful nod.
