First Brothers Rebellion
The Conflict
Prelude
The war that tore apart two loving brothers was many years in the making. Many have said it began with the birth of the child that would be Garland the Grim. Others say it began when Garland II returned from Ethel with Queen Messenger, his second wife, already pregnant with Prince Erick. From their infancy, the children's mothers were vying to win the throne for them. Prince Erick was the elder son, yet Young Garland's mother, Queen Skal'izel was the King's first (some said only) wife. King Garland II, called the Glorious, was not a decisive man, and simply would not declare either son heir to his throne. Factions arose early: the Loyalists, who supported Queen Skal'izel and Young Garland; and the Messenger Men, who supported Queen Messenger and Prince Erick. Queen Skal'izel would die at sea a few years after the princes' births, but her mother Dowager Queen Hwel'Ynwel took up the Loyalist cause. Hwel'Ynwel was the grandmother of both princes, but Queen Skal'izel was a cousin, and Hwel'Ynwel was suspicious of a second wife (who was said to have been pregnant before even marrying the King). These factions spent years jockeying favor, converting agents, and allegedly even removing adversaries, yet despite all this the two princes remained friends. Their friendship ended when Mox Master Niil Conlaugh (considered the leader of the Messenger Men), convinced Young Garland to challenge Prince Erick to a Hollymock, supposedly all in jest. The two princes were fond of a speller named Ea, though both were already betrothed to noblewomen, and vie for her attention in sport. The Hollymock was likewise meant in sport. Whatever Conlaugh had intended will never be known. Prince Erick's second shield was faulty and broke immediately under Young Garland's ax. Prince Erick's shield-hand was severed. More enraged than alarmed, Erick struck at his brother in earnest before being disarmed by the guards. Dowager Queen Hwel'Ynwel took this opportunity to strike. She alleged that Young Garland, being the son of the King's first wife, was the legitimate heir, and that therefore Prince Erick was guilty of attacking the Crown Prince. She was advised to abandon this plot (even by Helena to Hand, the King's Wizard and an ardent Loyalist), and it would ultimately prove her undoing. Had it been another king, it might have worked, but Garland the Glorious was notoriously opposed to decisive action, and would not make a decision that might kill one of his sons. Forced to choose, he named Prince Erick the heir. Erick had lost a hand, but gained a kingdom. It is unclear who moved Young Garland to finally declare himself and mobilize his army. Both Dowager Queen Hwel'Ynwel and Helena to Hand had been active Loyalists for years, yet neither had the power to mobilize armies. Most assume that Helena, being a wizard, was able to coordinate with numerous conspirators from a distance, and that after the King's decision, she launched plans that had been lying in wait for years. Young Garland made the declaration, but just who compelled him to do it remains a mystery.