Your Highness

Life, Career

Baegla tells Fenneck that Glitterfjell is going to join Thymryu and that he will be a Prince.   Baegla-Premier-Duchess Lox-General Jasna-Bard-Countess Fenneck- Ranger-Prince Vyndius-Mage-Count Catherine- Mage-Countess Killion- Trademaster-Baron Lenni- Stablehead- Baron Wyeth- Scribe- Baron Lumian-Lord Borea-Surgeon General   he allows each to organize the local government in whatever way works best for them and their region-specific and culture-specific needs, as long as they're implementing the laws of the land to his approval

Fenneck headed down to the conference room for his meeting with Baegla. He had gotten back from the mountains a couple days ago and had spent that time settling a family in the mountain. He entered the room and saw Baegla and Jasna arguing quietly as he walked in. They stopped and looked up and Baegla gave Fenneck a smile that was very obviously forced as he entered the room. He stopped and looked at them quizzically. "Is now a good time?" He asked Baegla, who beckoned him over to them. "Of course it is! Jasna, please excuse us." Jasna gave Baegla a pleading look, but Baegla responded with a stern face, causing Jasna to huff a little and leave the room. "Fenneck dear, will you please shut the door?" Baegla asked him as she rifled through some of the papers and scrolls scattered across the large table. He closed the door and hesitantly sat down across from her, unsure of what to expect. "What did you wish to talk about?" He asked her. She gave up on finding the paper she was looking for and smiled up at Fenneck, "Hello dear. How is Natalya?" She asked, her effort at deflection uncharacteristically blatant. "Fine," he said slowly. "Everything has been going well these last few months. I tried to convince her to come to Flottenheim for the festival but she refused. Again. She feels a bit... embarrassed after last time." He explained. He understood Natalya's hesitation and was rather relieved she had refused his invitation. "I see." Baegla said, clearly still rooting for the two of them to fall in love. "She's happy, Baegla. Really." He reassured her. "I wouldn't worry about her. I made sure she had enough food and resources to get her through the winter safely. She promised that she wouldn't dally in the wilds." Baegla nodded, her mind having left the topic during Fenneck's description. She folded her hands in what Fenneck had come to realize was a rare sign of nervousness from her. "So I have some news." She said, clearly reluctant to share it with him. "Well?" He prompted. Baegla started fiddling her thumbs, selecting her words carefully. "I'm sure I don't need to explain the danger that Pufuktin's unruly reign has cast over ourselves and the rest of Lenisily." She started slowly. "I'm well aware of it." He said jokingly. Baegla smiled briefly before becoming serious. "I trust you understand that everything I do, I do with extreme deliberation and caution." She said, looking down to avoid his eyes as she continued. "With that threat, I fear an oncoming attack. The only ways to guarantee safety from Pufuktin... is to scare him. To give him an even bigger reason not to attack us." Fenneck felt an uneasy feeling start to boil in his chest. She rubbed her thighs nervously before meeting his eyes. "Glitterfjell... has joined Thymryu... as a fiefdom." She said finally. Fenneck stared at her blankly. "What?" He asked her, hoping he had misheard or misunderstood what she was saying. She took a deep breath. "We... are no longer an independent country, Fenneck. We are now under the rule of King Zeitdrache." She clarified. Fenneck sat in stunned silence for what felt like eternity before he stood up and started pacing as he processed this ridiculous news. "You're bloody joking, right?" he said, laying his hands on the table across from her. "This is some sort of prank, isn't it? I will give you this, it's much cleverer than you and Vyndius' silly little whoopie cushions!" He exclaimed, waving his finger at her and resuming his pacing. She sighed, and laid her head on her hand. "It is no jest, dear. It's true. In formal company, you shall refer to me as Duchess from now on." She explained. He stopped walking and stared at her in disbelief, "After all this? After everything we fought for?! You're just going to throw it all away for what?! Protection?!" Baegla met his eyes calmly, apparently having expected this reaction. "Pufuktin is dangerous, Fenneck! I cannot risk another full-scale assault on our people!" "Your people!" He scoffed. "Is this what the people wanted?! Did you ask anyone else? Why am I just now hearing about this? I thought you respected my opinion-" Baegla scowled ever so slightly at his accusation. "I gave you the choice to be more involved Fenneck and you turned it down to run around in the mountains. Do not forget that! If you had been here for the last two years I might have included you but at the same time I already knew you'd hate the idea with every fiber of your being without considering any possible benefits!" She stood up in her chair so she could look him in the eyes. "So why do it?!" He shouted at her. "Why do something if you knew people would be upset?! You have ruined us! You have ruined everything we fought so hard for in the revolution!" He started to see the first vestiges of anger creep into her expression as she raised her voice. "I did what was best for our people, Fenneck. King Zeitdrache is a good man and I trust him-" Fenneck interrupted her, waving his hand. "And what about his son? His heir? What about the next king? He's a young human, Baegla. I have no doubt that in time he'll fall prey to his corrupt advisers like most young rulers do! And what if the next king is just as corrupt as Pufuktin?" He clenched a fist on his head before pointing across the table at her. "You have taken our choice from us. You have taken everything from us!" He spat venomously in her face. Baegla's face was red now and Fenneck saw the flames burn brighter on the candles in the room. "I did not ask you here for your opinion, Fenneck!" She said, demanding he respect her authority, "I asked you here to inform you of this change and to bestow your new title in the court. Sit. Down." She demanded, the candles flaring green with her last two words. Fenneck tried to calm himself as he reluctantly obeyed her. Once he had sat, she lowered herself back into her seat, the candles returning to their normal color and intensity. She met his eyes and spoke with authority. "From this day forward you will be called Prince Fenneck Frostears of Flottenheim. You will refer to myself as Duchess and this scroll will inform you of everyone else's new titles." She held out the scroll for him to take and he hesitated before yanking it out of her hand aggressively. "I will make the formal announcement before the Winter's Eve Festival." She said formally, almost daring him to challenge her again. He glared at her menacingly as a beat of silence passed between them. "Do you have any questions?" She asked. He opened his mouth, but she cut him off before he could speak, "And 'what the fuck' is not an appropriate one." She warned him, prompting him to close his mouth. She sighed, speaking in a gentler tone. "Fenneck, I hope that one day you will understand this decision. I know you need time to process this, so for now, you are excused." He shook his head in disbelief as he stood and left the room. As he opened the door, Jasna and a couple of guards jumped back, having had their ears pressed against the wall of the conference room. Fenneck glared at her as he threw the door closed behind him. "How long have you known?" He demanded. Jasna looked down in shame. "How long?" He pressed her. She hesitantly looked up at him, "Two years." She said quietly. He frowned and his eyes filled with fury as he shoved past her and went to the staircase and ran down to the second level. He got to Alexei's tavern and headed straight toward him. The bar had a few people at the tables and a couple halflings were chatting with Alexei at the bar. "Your room. Now." Fenneck demanded when he made eye contact with Alexei. Alexei was startled by Fenneck's aggression. "Um... Excuse me." He told his guests before leading Fenneck into his room. Fenneck closed the door behind him and guided Alexei into the far corner so they wouldn't be heard, "Did you know?" He asked Alexei sternly. Understanding crossed Alexei's face as he swallowed in fear and looked down, "She made me swear, Fenneck." He said. Fenneck grabbed a bottle of alcohol off the shelf and chucked it into the far wall in anger. Alexei winced and grabbed his head as he let out a pained groan. "Fenneck, please don't do that. That was a three-hundred-year-old scotch!" Alexei said desperately, briefly forgetting the circumstances as he looked in despair at the alcohol dripping down his wall. "Why does nobody tell me anything?!" Fenneck said, ignoring him. "Why am I always kept in the dark?!" Fenneck demanded. Alexei sighed, "I don't know! Probably because you react like this?" He motioned to the broken glass, lamenting its loss. Fenneck walked over to the bed and threw his face into Alexei's pillows to scream. Alexei poked his head out of his room, "Everything is fine in here!" He called out to the bar before going back to Fenneck who had collapsed into his bed with his face still buried in the pillows and his butt sticking up in the air comically. "Fenneck..." Alexei said sitting down next to him and awkwardly patting Fenneck's back. "Why would she do this?" Fenneck said into the pillow, his voice muffled. "You know why, Fen." Alexei said. "I know she explained it to you and I think it will be a positive change." Fenneck shot his head up and turned on Alexei, "I'm a prince, Alexei! There is no universe where that is a positive change!" Alexei shrugged, "The ladies will love it, though. Maybe Natalya would be more interested in you if she knew she'd get to be a princess." He teased Fenneck weakly. Fenneck scolded him, "I'm not a prince, Alexei! I'm a ranger! I'm a soldier! I'm a tailor, even! But there is no world in which me being a prince makes an ounce of sense!" Alexei chuckled, at a loss for words. "You're just as bad as Baegla is." Fenneck said angrily before standing up and walking toward the door. "Fen! Come on!" Alexei chased him out into the bar. But Fenneck was already heading back to his room. He went straight there and slammed the door behind him. During the morning of the Winter's Eve Festival, Baegla made her announcement in the theatre with King Zeitdrache proudly at her side. Fenneck especially hated how gracious and likeable Zeitdrache was simply standing there. He wondered if there was some strange charm the King had figured out to manipulate people. Most of the people accepted Baegla's news with hesitant excitement. Some, like Fenneck, were appalled and by the time the ceremony rolled around there was a rumble of argument happening throughout Flottenheim. Fenneck was the only one from the palace who seemed to oppose the decision, amplifying his feelings of isolation. The ceremony was the first one in years that Fenneck left feeling worse than when he arrived. He spent the next month packing and waiting till the winter let up enough for him to head back to the mountains. He left two months earlier than normal and early in the morning so he wouldn't have to tell anyone goodbye. He was angry with them for supporting this change and didn't understand their reasoning for doing such a thing, coupled with his resentment at being kept in the dark. The sun was setting by the time he got to the bumblebear cave, causing the sky to illuminate in bright pinks and yellows. He saw Natalya outlined against the beautiful sky as she painted on the cliff and felt a wave of relief to finally be home. He nodded to her when he approached, not wanting to disturb her and headed inside the cave. After a few minutes, she joined him. "Did you hear?!" He asked her angrily. Natalya looked at him and raised her eyebrows in confusion, "I've only spoken to Dimitri like, once since you left, so I doubt it." She teased him as she put her paints away. "Baegla decided that Glitterfjell is to join Thymryu!" He informed her. Natalya look confused, "Like, in a treaty?" Fenneck threw his hands up in exasperation, "I fucking wish. We're a bloody fiefdom now!" Natalya looked taken aback by this news. "That doesn't make any sense." She said. He suddenly realized she might actually agree with him and he nodded. "No it doesn't, does it? I think it's a horrid idea but of course no one asked how I felt about it. They even went as far as to avoid telling me that they had been working on this idea for years!" Natalya walked over and sat down next to him, surprising Fenneck a bit. He kept going as she sat, "The whole reason we fought in the revolution was to avoid tyrannical kings. How is this a good idea?" He asked her, desperately searching for answers. Natalya thought for a moment, "Well, what is Thymryu's king like?" He shrugged, "Zeitdrache seems like a good man, I've met him a few times now and he... he's not really what I'm worried about." He said begrudgingly. "The real concern is what happens after he's gone? He's only a human, Nat. What about their-" He swallowed with disgust, "our next king? Jasna said it had more to do with Lenisily, that Baegla is fearful with her old age and Pufuktin's boldness. Last year we had a small skirmish break out on the Great Skyway border." He suddenly laughed, remembering the most ridiculous part, "Also, Baegla decided to re-assign the court and give out new titles to line up with the monarchical system of Thymryu. Henceforth, you can refer to me as Prince Fenneck Frostears of Flottenheim." He said the word prince with disgust and bowed to her mockingly. "Man, that's a mouthful." She joked, giggling. "I'll stick to Fen, maybe Fenneck if I really want drag out a conversation. That is, if you don't mind, your majesty." She tipped an imaginary hat to him. He smiled and put his hand on his chest with an exaggerated royal air. "Um, actually, the proper term when addressing a prince is your highness, and I'll thank you not to forget it." He met her eyes and they laughed together. He felt thankful for a friend who wasn't telling him he was overreacting. "I'm upset." He told her, returning to seriousness a bit. "I'm upset with Baegla. That's why I am back early. I hope that's okay?" Natalya nodded and gave him a small smile, "Yeah, of course. Only for the fact that you can no longer judge me for running away from my problems." She teased him. He chuckled. "Fair enough. I would feel better about it too if Baegla would decide how we should elect the next premi- I mean duke of Glitterfjell. She hasn't made any motions toward what kind of a system we want. Jasna thinks she will select her successor." Natalya tilted her head. "What about Zeitdrache? Wouldn't he have a say in who it is?" she asked, trying to understand. Fenneck shrugged, "If he happens to be king when she dies, he will, even though it seems like he doesn't care how the fiefdoms choose a leader as long as they have one. If he dies before her, though, and the next king turns out to be rubbish, then he or she could appoint anyone into the role. I think we should develop a system to allow more control to go into the hands of our citizens but Baegla doesn't trust an election system." He sighed and put a hand on his head. "To be fair, they do have their own sets of issues like parties and the integrity and organization of the actual election process, but I think the pros far outweigh the cons." Natalya looked at him thoughtfully. "You really care about this stuff, don't you?" She asked him. He looked up at her confused, "Don't you?" She shrugged, "Sure, but you actually want to do something. I thought you were just some archer." She teased. He bit his lip, remembering all the times Baegla had tried to convince him to be more involved in the court. "I don't know. I guess I do have more of a political presence than I think I do sometimes. My uncle does well to remind me that I left the 'little folks' behind when I went to live in the palace but I always assume he's just joking." He looked down for a moment before looking back up at Natalya, "I don't want to think of myself as though I'm above anyone else. I despise that with my entire being." Natalya smiled softly at him. He sighed, "I'm sorry, I'm probably boring you." He said. "No, I like your thoughts on the subject. I'm just not really interested in being political myself." She shrugged. He laughed at her, "Absolute rubbish! You are one of the most political individuals I have ever met." He teased her. She looked at him confused and he rolled his eyes. "You've assassinated a king, Natalya! Because you, rightfully, despised his leadership. You're a politician." He smiled and shook his head at her. "Killing a tyrannical person for their evil deeds is not politics." She countered. "It's common sense!" He smiled at her smugly, "Your motive was strictly political. Lenisily's problems are not only their king, obviously, but even you know that those who hold all the power are directly responsible for the well-being of their people. Politics!" He teased her. She rolled her eyes and stood up. He tried to show he meant no offense, "Being a politician isn't a bad thing, it's an 'I'm a functioning member of the society I live in' thing. Everyone should pursue the art that is politics." He said cleverly. "Sounds like you should be the next duke." She said as she grabbed some vegetables for stew. "Oh please!" He said, waving her off, "I'm not suited for something as ridiculous as that. I hate the pomp and circumstance of it all." He stood up and walked over and stole a potato to help her prepare supper. "How was your winter? I feel awful leaving you up here all alone." He asked as they got to work. "It was fine. I saw Dimitri a couple times." She informed him. "How is he?" Fenneck asked. He had grown to accept her feelings for Dimitri, especially since none of this would work without him. He also liked seeing Natalya happy and she was always so cute when she talked about him. "He's fine." She said, sounding a bit disappointed, "He said things are steadily getting worse. So, nothing new to report." This had been the general consensus for a while now. "Did he try and shoot you again?" He joked, trying to lighten the mood so she wouldn't get upset thinking about Dimitri in that awful place. "No, nothing that exciting." She rolled her eyes at him, but Fenneck caught a small smile creep onto her face. "So no sex, huh?" He teased again. She gave him a stern look. He held up his arms in defense, "Just thought I'd ask." He said, trying to make her smile, "Come on, I haven't got laid in over a hundred years, cut me some slack for being nosy." She smiled at his self-inflicted jest. "We did." She said quietly, trying to hide her smile. Fenneck noticed her ears start to blush. "It's not that exciting, though. Fairly vanilla." She tried to play it off. "I'd like to meet him sometime." Fenneck said thoughtfully, "See if he's really as handsome as you paint him to be." She rolled her eyes at his teasing. "You jealous or something?" She asked him playfully. Fenneck smiled and laughed a little, "Obviously. Of course I wish I was getting shagged in the snow every month by some elusive, dangerous, sexy half-elf assassin. Maybe I should go one month and see if he's as bi as I am." He suggested with mock pensiveness. Natalya finally laughed at him. "You're not his type." She joked. "Well then what's the harm in me taking my shot?" He said, enjoying the playful banter. "He might like a romantic evening with a sexy ranger." She elbowed him, "He already has a sexy ranger!" She said, referring to herself. "Not a romantic one." He teased her back and she elbowed him again. They laughed at each other for a moment as they began play fighting, eventually causing Fenneck to drop the potato he was trying to chop. She laughed as he reached down to grab it. "Good job! You just ruined dinner!" She threw her hands up feigning despair. "Shit!" He exclaimed, "I guess we'll starve." He shrugged in playful defeat. Their eyes met for a moment and Fenneck felt the jolts of pain in his chest as he looked into her beautiful green eyes. He turned away and quickly got back to chopping up the other potatoes. She followed suit as the tension in the air grew between them. He shoved his feelings down and tried to ignore the throbbing in his heart. He wanted to be okay with being friends with her but he couldn't help himself from feeling his love grow with every passing day. He didn't dare tell her or act on it, though. He suffered in silence as she would run off to Lenisily to see Dimitri and risk getting killed for the love she felt for him. She didn't love Fenneck. He knew that. She was starting to like him though, as a friend. As Fenneck settled down to rest that night, he realized how awful Erikur must have felt over the years as Fenneck constantly denied him. Fenneck tried to stop himself but he eventually started crying as he thought about Erikur and how much pain he must have caused him. He tried to be quiet as he faced away from Natalya. Eventually he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked up to see her sitting next to him, looking worried. He started sobbing and she wrapped her arms around him. Fenneck sobbed hard that night as he processed his emotions toward Natalya and Erikur and the news of Glitterfjell's fall into fiefdomhood. Natalya held him close and eventually he calmed down and sat up to meditate. "Drink some water." Natalya told him softly. He nodded and found a waterskin. After taking a long gulp, he looked down at her sadly, "I'm sorry." He told her, still shaking a little from his fragile state. She gently rubbed his back. "Do you want me to rest with you?" She asked hesitantly. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and meditate alongside her, but she didn't love him. She was with Dimitri. He shook his head, "I'll be fine." He told her, trying to sound confident. She nodded and slowly stood and walked back over to her corner. Fenneck took a few deep breaths and closed his eyes.