A Worthless Crown

Suddenly, I saw a strange face. My father. He was here for some reason, he approached the miners and they exchanged greetings.

Father met the adventurers at the entrance of the mines. He arrived with his guards, wearing his fine crimson coat embroidered with the Vista crest. The sun's light gleamed off the golden threads, and his polished boots crushed the loose gravel beneath them. His face bore that same look he always wore when addressing outsiders—calculated warmth, just enough to show respect but not submission.

The bulky grey-haired leader stepped forward. Their words were clipped, formal. They spoke of safety concerns, of rumors. "The Exiled King" was said again. I watched Alcors from the corner of my eye. He stood stiff as a board, his hand brushing his right arm again.

I tuned out most of their conversation. I already knew what would happen. Father would assure them everything was fine. They'd investigate, waste their time, and leave.

It was not the first time people had wanted to investigate the mines, in particular the depths of the mines.

Later, when I returned to the estate, Father announced a ballroom gathering to celebrate the heroes' visit and the recent success of the city. Another tedious affair, but necessary for appearances. I rolled my eyes. Alcors, though, had an expression somewhere between dread and confusion, he too was invited to the gathering. He was here because Father had spotted him after he finished talking with the adventurers.

As we walked toward the garden afterward, Alcors finally broke his silence. "Fraero… I need your help with something."

I raised an eyebrow. Alcors rarely asked me for anything. "With what?"

He hesitated, then muttered, "A suit. I… I need something decent for the ball. I can't go looking like a miner."

I smirked. "Obviously. You'd disgrace the entire town."

He scowled, but I could see he was serious. He clearly wanted to put on his best look for the heroes and the wealthy families.

"Fine," I said, waving a hand dramatically. "I'll make sure you don't embarrass yourself. Remember now you owe me a favor."

I told him to appear at the Vista estate tomorow morning.

We walked into town the next day. I led him to the best tailor I knew, an old man who had fitted every Vista for generations. The tailor fussed over Alcors, measuring his arms and shoulders, muttering about posture and growth spurts. Alcors stood awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable and distressed.

I leaned against the wall, inspecting my nails. "Try not to look like a farmhand at the ball, and pick a suit that maybe isn't bright blue."

"Sorry, just keep measuring." He spoke absent mindedly.

He ignored me, but I caught a small twitch at the corner of his mouth. A faint smile, maybe. It irritated me more than it should have.

Finally, the measurements were complete and a new suit would be ready for tomorrow.

"Don't pay, Lord Vista has already paid for you."

Huh. I never expected my father to be such a gentleman. Alcors smiled brightly, he must've taken a liking to my father by now. If only he knew...

As we left, the townspeople noticed him. They greeted him warmly—miners, merchants, even children. They spoke of his bravery in the depths. A mining hero, they called him. The boy who had survived the call at just the age of twelve, my age.

He was like an idol to them, they looked at him with hearts in their eyes.

I watched from a step behind. Their admiration was real. Genuine. It made me sick. Not because I hated Alcors. Not really. But because they would never look at me like that. I was Lord Vista's son. My worth was assumed, not earned. Their respect for me was duty. Their respect for him was choice. It was understandable, but painful. This feeling-. Envy? I let it pass by, perhaps he was some sort of hero to these people. He had killed monsters and enriched the city. What had I done?

When I returned to the vista estate, I heard loud noises echoing down the halls. They came from my father's office. Slyly, I crept up the winding stairs and peeked through the door of my father's office.

The door was cracked open just enough for me to glimpse inside. My father stood at the head of the room. His guards loomed by the walls, as still as statues. Before him were the four adventurers were all exchanging cautious looks.

They were tense, their postures rigid, their eyes sharper than they had been at the mines. This was not the polite formality of before; this was different. They meant business.

The grey-haired leader spoke first. His voice was low, but it carried the weight of authority. "Lord Vista, we can no longer deny it. The seal has weakened. The demon is loose."

I stiffened. Demon? I had heard the whispers from the miners—superstition, I thought. Tales to frighten the young and idle. But this was no fireside story, the man's tone carried a sense of deafening finality.

Father's expression remained composed, though I noticed the slight clench of his jaw. "And the crown?" he asked, his voice as smooth as silk but with an edge underneath.

The golden-haired Dragon-slayer among the adventurers spoke up, a wiry man with eyes like daggers. "The race is shifting. A new contender from the north, now there are seven. House Miravel. They also seek the mines. If they uncover what lies beneath, it will not just be our secret exposed—it will be ruin. For you. For us. Luckily they don't know what they seek has already left. It has already made it's deal it would seem. Don't forget, your family's involvement in the race. When will you speak to him?"

"Later." My father stated. "What more about the demon?"

My breath caught. The crown. So this was beyond mere local politics. My father had always taught me power was a dance of alliances and enemies, but I had never seen it unfold so clearly. This was not about Alto Mora, this was about the inheritance of the crown, the events of the capital.

The third hero, a broad-shouldered warrior, spoke with a voice like distant thunder. "The demon is hunting. We lost two men in the depths before we surfaced. Ripped apart. It will not stay hidden for long. If it reaches the surface… the capital, the towns… everything will burn. We can track it down, but what use is that if it can defeat all our men."