Caell'ian - Fae Realm, Kingdom of Sol
'No son of mine will waste his time roaming that filthy mortal realm!'
Lord Morvannon's voice echoed through the garden of his villa as a gust of cold wind swept through it. Birds burst from the trees, small creatures darted into hiding, and the servants all suddenly remembered urgent tasks elsewhere.
Caell'ian flicked a feather off his armour, waiting for the storm to pass. Such dramatic displays of displeasure had long ceased to impress him. It was time to remind his father that he wasn't under his authority any more.
'I am bound by Queen Mab's command, Father. The war against Dorchad almost ruined us. We need to get new resources through the Veil.'
'Exploring that barbaric place is a job for the scouts, not a paladin. I need you at court to further the interests of our family!'
'Do you want me to disobey the queen? How would my execution further the family's interests?' Caell'ian asked calmly.
'I will ask her to send someone else. This is beneath you!'
The paladin saw his chances of escape slip away, then cursed under his breath when he saw his brother saunter into the garden. The vein on Lord Morvannon's temple began throbbing dangerously at the sight of his other son, who bowed to him with such exaggerated politeness that it verged on mockery.
'You said yourself I am not suited to politics and diplomacy. I am of no use to you at court,' Caell'ian insisted before his father could work himself into a new bout of rage.
'He is completely useless,' his helpful sibling confirmed with a straight face.
'At least he has honour!' Lord Morvannin growled at him.
Caell'ian suppressed a groan when an expression of wounded innocence spread across Danghe'llan's face. A newborn lamb couldn't look as guileless as Hellan, especially after he'd done something outrageous. 'What have you done now?' he asked resignedly.
'I was fostering diplomatic relations with the Dorchad chief ambassador, just as Father ordered.'
'I did not mean in her bed!' Lord Morvannon exploded.
Danghe'llan shrugged. 'I'll be in an enemy's bed soon enough. Courtesy of your painstaking efforts on my behalf.'
'Your bride is a princess of purest Fae blood and King Lorind's niece. You will be bestowed the title of a prince, you ungrateful whelp!'
'Thank you, Father. It has always been my life's ambition to become a crowned prize bull,' Danghe'llan said, raising a wine goblet in a mocking toast.
Caell'ian lowered his eyes to hide his emotions. It had come as a great relief to him that he wasn't among those whose marriages were being arranged as a part of this treaty. Hoping to sweeten the prospect for Danghe'llan, he asked, 'Which princess is it?'
'Does it matter?'
'I met them when I escorted Father to the ceasefire negotiations. All three are exquisitely beautiful.'
Danghe'llan waved that praise away. 'Was there ever a High Fae who was not created as such?'
'They are very charming and accomplished, too,' Caell'ian persisted, although he knew this was a battle he'd lose.
'Like their notorious ancestor? That could at least prove interesting. Were they chanting over a cauldron of bubbling blood?' his brother replied with a grin.
'No one is to repeat that old slander in front of King Lorind's envoys,' Lord Morvannon commanded.
'Too late. A soldier started that atrocious song when the envoys rode through the city gate. Then others joined in. Lord Sillan looked ready to cleave their heads off. A perfect start for the final negotiations,' Danghe'llan informed him with a serene smile.
'They are here already? Why didn't you say so at once, you fool?!' his father exclaimed, jumping from his seat.
'I didn't want to interrupt while you were tearing into Caell. But if you are finished, the Queen demands your presence at court to help smooth the waters.'
'I should have returned you to the Source the day you were created, you insolent brat,' his father muttered and stomped off, shouting for the servants to get his carriage.
Hellan leaned back into his chair with the smug expression of a man who'd done his day's work and tossed another glowing red berry into his mouth. It was tinted grotesquely red by the fruit's juices and wine.
'Why do you always seek to aggravate him?' Caell'ian asked reproachfully and slowly moved his hand under the table.
'I keep hoping to give him apoplexy,' Danghe'llan replied, then cursed as a splash of water from the decorative fountain hit him right in the face.
'You keep hoping he'll exile you again so you won't have to get married!' Caell'ian accused him.
His irritating sibling wiped his face and smirked. 'Are you terrified I'll get out of it and make you the bridegroom after all, oh mighty paladin? It would certainly put a stop to any gallivanting in the human realm.'
Caell'ian tried not to flinch. His brother was not wrong, but there were more important issues at stake. 'This is not a game, Hellan.'
'I know. I'll make sure this peace treaty gets ratified, whatever it takes. So tell me the truth. Why are you going to that barbaric place?'
Caell'ian hesitated. Sharing such confidential information could get both of them executed if it came out.
Danghe'llan sighed. 'I hate to agree with Father, but getting resources is a job for scouts. Mother trained them well. You, on the other hand, can't tell wild oats from wheat. If our food supplies depended on you and your knights, we'd probably be starving or poisoned by now. Not to mention that it is below your station and your precious honour. It is a ludicrous idea no one will believe.'
'We are officially going to the Lowlands with the rest of the regiment. Goblins and wildermoors are attacking the farms there,' Caell'ian said defensively.
'That would be a better use of your time than bringing in that cursed metal,' his brother retorted.
The paladin stared at him. 'You are not supposed to know that. Who told you?' he hissed, looking around to see if anyone else was in earshot.
'No one told me. Who do you think had to travel to that godforsaken place to open the Veil for the scouts? They couldn't even get one single bar of that element through, and father was certainly not going to bother going there himself. But why do you want that disruptive ore? I thought you wanted this peace treaty more than anyone.'
'I do. And I believe that peace is possible between us and the Dorchadas. However, I also believe that it is better to be prepared. Our peace treaties have never lasted longer than a century or two.'
'Their spies will find out sooner or later. You cannot keep weapons production secret.'
'It will be too late by then. In the best case, it will stop them from starting a new war.'
'Or they'll get it too, and then we'll have even greater carnage.'
'There is no portal in their kingdom, and we guard ours closely.'
'No, we don't. When Father exiled me to that damned place last time, the Veil had spread by another mile. And that was fifty years ago. It has probably spread even further now and the number of soldiers at the garrison has been halved during the war.'
'Did you tell him that?'
'Of course I did. All he cares about is that humans can't find their way in.'
'I'll see what I can do. But the few humans I observed seemed quite harmless. Do you remember anything useful about them?'
'They procreate like animals. They lie with each other, and then tiny humans just pop out of the women. Toothless, hairless and helpless small creatures. Can't even speak or walk on their own.'
'That seems highly inefficient, but how is that supposed to help me?'
'I just thought I'd warn you. What if you find a human lover? The males were too hairy for my taste, but some of the women didn't look too bad. They might do if one cleaned them up a bit. What if you spawn a half-blood on one of them by accident? I am not quite sure how the whole thing works', Hellan mused.
'Hellan!'
'All right, all right. I didn't speak to many of them, but from what I observed, they love gold. It is not very common in their realm, so they will give you practically anything for it. And if that doesn't work, you can simply glamour them like animals or goblins.'