House Boulderdash
I fought off basilisks, resisted the deep cuts of winter from myself with my force of will. I braved the danger of mother nature herself, and crushed one rebellious army after the next. But, nothing scared me more than the day I had my son.
~ Garthorn Bladebreaker ~
Hi.
The Bladebreaker
Hi.Things were so much simpler as kids. Back then, my cousin Hector's eyes always glowed with joy and the anticipation to be something big. Now, all I see is hate and manipulation...
~ Maximus Boulderdash ~
Type
Political, Family
Parent Organization
Defection
Hector's hands toiled at the letter in his hands.
House Boulderdash had earned its name thanks to the layer of effort its family members put into earning its place among royalty. Hector had absolutely kept a hand in that, and at their peak, he'd toiled away with restless nights braving the headaches, nuances, and intricacies of the house's politics.
He'd helped straighten out and expand the empire's intelligence network across the whole continent. He'd squared away the noble heirarchy and made sure everyone, especially High Inquisitor Authorus, know their place. For plane's sake, he'd even gotten into good graces with the emperor himself.
And he was not about to let all of it go to waste just because of his dim-witted father's compassion for Hector's deserter of a son. No, since his youth he'd worked to get to where he is now. Hector realized what would happen if everything came crashing down on him. He'd lose more than his title. More than his prestige or his renown. He'd lose his entire life.
Ugh, thinking about Richard in that moment made Hector's head swell with an ulcer. How could the old man not see the facts right in front of him? Frederick was doing exactly what the man had taught him to do all these years. Hector had tried, but press a single button and the child collapsed like a stack of blocks on a ball. No, Richard has taught the kid the ins and outs of espionage, the etiquette to blending into a society and sneaking your way in.
The man had taught Frederick how to live off the map, for crying out loud!
And now, when the empire had been forced to cut ties with Frederick because of it, Richard abandoned his entire life's work to further endanger the empire's integrity.
Now, both of them were nowhere to be found, labeled as treasonous criminals. For all Hector knew, they could be waiting in secret, plotting out what to... wait.
Hector leaned back in his chair, face looking up to the dim chandelier that hung from the ceiling. His lips parted and a breathy laugh escaped.
Of course. That had to be it. Richard and the boy had been planning this from the start. Their betrayal had been inevitable, something Hector was surprised he'd never seen the hints of early on. But it all made complete sense.
Sneak into the Ravennian kingdom, establish a connection, and when everything is set in stone, escape and spill all the empire's dirty secrets. That was why he'd seen Frederick turn up in the Trispire Mountains after so many years. It was too perfect for something like that to happen while he, Frederick, and Richard were all in one place.
Defection. Oh, that word sent chills down Hector's spine, and he hated it.
Because of what those two had done, House Boulderdash was on the verge of absolute collapse. Because of what those traitors had caused, Hector was forced into something that would need to remain a secret between him and the emperor for eternity.
His fingers brushed across the rough paper letter still in his hands again. He turned the paper over, getting a good look at the imperial seal pasted onto its main fold. For a moment, he just stared at it...
The Boulderdash name would not fall here.
There was a knock at the door. In a breath, Hector's grip tightened on the letter before he slammed it face down onto his desk.
"Dear?" Katarina's voice was curious and shy just beyond the door.
"Yes," Hector called back, "I am inside. Do come in."
Slowly the door opened as his beautiful wife stepped in. "Butler Keddus said you needed to speak with me. He said it was urgent."
Hector took two steps over to her, putting his hands across her shoulders as he guided her into the room. "Yes, dearest, you are correct. Please, have a seat." Taken by his hand, Katarina sat down in the chair Hector was in a moment ago.
"Dear, I hope this is not about our son. We've been through this too many times already... don't make me cry again."
"Not at all." Hector soothed. "That isn't at all why I wished to speak with you."
There was a small sniffle from her. "Then what is on your mind."
His hands landed on her knees. "Do you remember your family?"
"My... family?"
"Dearest, did you forget? You break my heart..." Her hands rose to cup his face.
"Of course not! I'd never forget such important things." There was a small pause as her face adopted a more solemn expression. "My mother and father were John and Josine Christoforus."
"As in... the Ravennian Christoforus, yes?"
There was a hint of hesitation to Katarina then, but she continued. "Yes, dear."
Hector looked deep into his wife's eyes. "Do you remember how we met?" Her eyes started to look scared, but he calmed her by letting her cheek rest into his hand. She closed her eyes.
"We met the day I left that place."
"Mmm, yes. And why did you leave that place?"
She didn't answer for a moment. Instead, she glanced toward the desk, and out of curiosity, picked up the paper with the imperial seal on it.
"Because I... defected from Ravenna." She answered as she turned the page, beginning to read what it said.
"Yes you did." Without hesitation, Hector weaved a set of daggers out of thin air from behind her. Katarina's eyes went wide seeing what was written.
From the hallway, butler Keddus was making his rounds. Tonight was usually the time the Mr. and Mrs. received their evening tea. Despite what this family was going through lately, Keddus the dwarf wasn't about to let this family go under and be out of a job so easily. He'd work his butt off if he had to. He slowly came to a stop just in front of their bedchamber door. He tightened his bowtie and made sure his posture was appropriate for when he did enter. He rose his hand to knock, but stopped when he saw something moving on the floor. Thin red lines were slowly snaking their way out from beneath the door. A small line of it slowly began to pool beside his right boot. Perhaps it was just the lighting, but Keddus swore it looked just like... "AAAAAAH!" A soul-wrenching man's scream came from just inside the room. In that same second, Keddus fully realized the horror of the situation.
From the hallway, butler Keddus was making his rounds. Tonight was usually the time the Mr. and Mrs. received their evening tea. Despite what this family was going through lately, Keddus the dwarf wasn't about to let this family go under and be out of a job so easily. He'd work his butt off if he had to. He slowly came to a stop just in front of their bedchamber door. He tightened his bowtie and made sure his posture was appropriate for when he did enter. He rose his hand to knock, but stopped when he saw something moving on the floor. Thin red lines were slowly snaking their way out from beneath the door. A small line of it slowly began to pool beside his right boot. Perhaps it was just the lighting, but Keddus swore it looked just like... "AAAAAAH!" A soul-wrenching man's scream came from just inside the room. In that same second, Keddus fully realized the horror of the situation.
Mrs. Boulderdash was always the nicest woman I'd known. To think even she'd kill herself out of this stress!~ Keddus
Comments