Daughters, Swords &Dragons

"Your highness you are a genius." Roriath praised Ara.

Ara chuckled "Did you like the show?"

"I can't believe the Emperor just executed his chief guard, it's ridiculous." Roriath scoffed as he joined Ara in the secret room.

"That would have been you." Ara smirked

Roriath beamed "I appreciate the effort, your highness, how did you know the emperor would execute him?"

"The Emperor may be acknowledged as a fool secretly but no one dares make him feel foolish publicly. Sir Lepato is an excellent chief guard who does his duty without complaint." Ara explained.

Flipping the pages of his book "He sees a certain whore in the Blue brothel, one he is very fond of so I sent her a heavy sum of gold to get the keys. Lepato wears the keys as a necklace, when he's too busy enjoying her head game she's busy playing my game."

"Regar let the witch out, he knows a tiny bit of sorcery that's why I keep him close. It was easy covering his tracks, so even if Lepato tried to explain there's no logic cause no one saw Regar enter the prison or undo the barrier."

He closed the book with a satisfied smile on his lips. "His explanation made the emperor look like a fool to be lied to, that's why he was executed."

"Now the royal guards have a grudge against my father for executing a knight in such a dishonoring way."

Listening tentatively Roriath nodded "The ball is in the court. Next my father will set a banquet on a holy day. Pope Worezayax will be infuriated and the castle knights will attend the prayer of the dragon festival on the emperor's behalf to appease him."

"That's the day we will attack." Ara explained standing at the window.

Roriath rubbed his jaw "What of the castle guards, if the knights are going to represent the Emperor in the festival during the banquet the security in the castle will be intense."

"Not if the black knights are attacking the east border." Ara countered.

His breath hitched "Dear lord you don't mean actual black knights your highness Right?"

"Of course not a few of my soldiers will dress like one." Ara barked in laughter.

Fighting the urge to pull his hair out Roriath protested "It's treason upon treason concluding with the rebellious knights that were banished from the kingdom. If we are caught, we will be buried alive underneath the Emperor's feet."

"It's so exciting, can you imagine getting caught by my father, oh there's no greater pleasure." Ara cackled climbing on the window seat with the elegance of a cat.

The crown prince looked at the world through the window from above and thought that's where it should be, beneath him. Roriath shook his head thinking this prince might have a few loose screws.

"What of Regasus? Are you forgetting the core of the problem?"

Ara shrugged as the wind blew his hair "How could I forget my queen. The Emperor will invite him for the ball along with my eight brothers, it is here they all shall perish tragically in the hands of the black knights."

The silence after those words were loud.

Roriath stroked his beard "what of the empress and the concubines even the princesses have you really thought this through."

"The empress is weak without the Emperor, what good will the concubines and princesses be when they side with the black knights to overthrow the emperor?"

His eyes nearly left their sockets "Regasus and his family with the concubines concluded with the black knights to overthrow the Emperor in order to make Helios emperor as it is written in the prophecy of stone and you know the best part they will fail."

This was evil, Roriath had never heard such an evil scheme in his life.

Could he really put his trust, his life and family in the hands of such a cunning man.

"There's fear in your eyes Roriath, you do not trust me. That's smart." Ara sat at the window's edge.

Roriath cleared his throat "The first Concubine was once known as the god of war, she will want revenge."

Ara sighed "Ah that woman I forgot about her, for now I have no plan for her only to get rid of her by deceiving her."

"And how will you do that?"

"Oh come on, you want to ruin all the surprises." Ara whined hopped down from the window to the chair then the floor.

Placing cold hands on roriath's shoulders "You'll just have to wait and see."

Roriath narrowed his eyes at him "How did his majesty hear about the witches death?"

Ara rolled his eyes, bored , grabbing a book from a shelf "His majesty owns an elite network of spy intelligence that reports everything in the kingdom, two years ago I happened to find out the identity of the viscount of spies."

He grinned looking at him over his shoulders "Do you know the penalty for discovering a spies identity."

"Death." Roriath whispered.

"Spies are not assassins; they fear death and have families. After a few visits I and the spy lord became friends now every message the Emperor gets goes through me." Ara said, blowing dust from another book.

"You sent the information to his majesty." Roriath snarled.

Ara placed a finger to his lips "Oops it slipped."

"Are you so sure you will succeed?" Roriath questioned.

Ara pulled a book and the bookshelves parted. He walked through a dusty door and returned with a bird "Meet Looney."

The white large bird with huge eyes "Is that an owl?"

"It's cute right, Regar caught it in the white snow." Ara said.

Roriath's smile fell. "There's no snow in the six kingdoms."

"There is over the wall."

"Great dragon! how many laws have you broken , the more I get to know you, the more I know if I even dare to report you, I and my family will be buried in a nameless grave." Roriath cried out.

Ara smirked "My plan isn't full proof I just want you to believe in me, like no one has."

"How long have you thought of this?"

"Since I was eight. Since my great grandfather looked into my eyes and took his last breath."

Deep meaning clouded Ara's voice "I will try my best your highness."

"That's all you need to do."

Roriath paused for a second then proceeded to ask "Imagine you woke up in a world where you aren't you, what would you do?"

He liked roriath mostly for the bizarre and random questions he asked, it tested his intelligence, made him flaunt his brains "I'd go back to sleep."

As roriath left Ara stared at the chess board and spoke to the pieces on the board "Let my world begin to form."

"According to the Christian god, Let there be light."