42 Little Bro, Lets Drink! (1/2)

Arguna, the silver city. The name was as fitting as it was obvious, as it had been built within the Argu basin and along the Argu river. The city also offered close watch and direct control over the numerous, abundant mines in the area, none more important than the precious silver ore. Though the region had been mined for centuries, the basin showed no signs of exhaustion. That wealth was what had made Arguna the center of Medala's power and House Pluritac the most powerful house of the Twin Isles.

Impatient for his arrival, Corco lifted the curtains of his uncle's palanquin, now painted with the triquetra of his own house. First he saw the handful of warriors he had brought for protection. Back at the traditionalist camp, the prince had left Dedrick behind to look after the rest of his men and to make sure the uncultured mercenary wouldn't create trouble at the court.

For now, Primus would also stay with his father as well. Due to the ban of troops within Arguna, even the Lords' own attendants were limited to two bearers for the palanquin and an additional four for security and advice. In truth, the flimsy safety net made Corco uneasy. Really, he should have been used to it. Since he had spent the last few years on Arcavia with a knife under his pillow, he had plenty of experience with assassinations. However, his knowledge of how dirty people could play to reach their goals only made things worse. It didn't help that at this moment, they were moving into Medala's heart of political intrigue. After they had passed through the enormous inner city walls, they entered the city's inner ring, the spacious noble's quarters.

One step through the enormous stone walls revealed a world far removed from the outside. While the rest of the city with all of it's hustle was a loud, chaotic mess, within the walls one would find an almost eerie calm and cleanliness, as if the apocalypse had happened right after spring cleaning. While the houses outside the walls were built at least partially from stone, many constructions within the city walls were made from wood alone, not only reflecting the influence Chutwa culture had gained among Medala's nobility. Rather, the need to keep the foundries of the city running also meant that any forests within the vicinity had been destroyed long ago. As such, the ability to build a house from wood had become a sign of wealth.

As if that hadn't been enough for the vain lords, the outer walls of the various mansions were lavishly decorated with carvings, paintings and even silver plating. With how simple and rustic everything away from the main roads looked, one had to look very hard to justify the name 'silver city' outside the walls. In here however, the abundance of decadence on show explained the eagerness of the foreign powers who tried to control his brothers. Many of the estates spent a good portion of their yearly income only on the literal and figurative facade, of their Arguna mansions, even at the expense of their actual family estate back home, just to show their neighbors that they themselves mattered.

The only indication that this place was, in fact, not some otherworldly realm of purity and splendor was the giant pillar of smoke in the west, where inside the walls, the weapons and armors of the imperial forces would be fashioned. However, the smoke remained the only indication of their existence as the view on the buildings themselves was blocked by the royal complex, an enormous palace with countless structures, towering above the city in all of its opressive might. And the most remarkable ones among its buildings were the two imposing structures which threw long shadows over the entire inner city as they were backed by the evening sun peeking out from beneath the low-hanging clouds.

First was the monumental, rounded ziggurat which was the only pure stone structure of the complex and much older than even the city itself, the Moonlight Ziggurat. Not only was the pyramid ancient, it had been the center of the empire's political and religious power ever since the founding days. It housed the royal temple, royal tomb, the Ancestral Hall and of course, the grand court, where Corco's father had made all important decisions of the empire up until his death.

The party's goal, however wasn't the Moonlight Ziggurat, it was the other massive building. A gigantic fortress built from black stone and bright red wood, positioned next to the Argu River, uninviting and imposing from the outside. Corco however remembered the inside as pleasant and luxurious. No wonder, since the structure was the chosen home of the imperial family, his nominal home.

There, Corco would find his accommodations for the night, but first they would have to make it past the palace gates. Considering their track record so far, he was surprised no underlings had tried to stop them at the inner city wall, so he just hoped their luck would last as his men, taken aback by the marvelous sights on their path, made their way up Yaku Hill, the root of the world.

As they neared the giant double gate, the sound of gongs filled the air. The startled carriers stopped still and almost dropped the palanquin with Corco inside. ”It's fine”, the prince calmed them with a smooth voice, ”It's just a greeting. Keep going.”

The gongs would always make the return of an imperial family member. In truth, Corco was surprised by the warm reception. Nonetheless content with the treatment, he stepped out of the palanquin to make the final part of his journey on foot.

With Corco still several steps away from the base of the entrance, the giant doors began to swing outward. By the time the small group had reached the top of the stairs, the palace gate was opened wide enough for an army to enter, and their welcoming committee had appeared in its middle. The sight was underwhelming.

”Prince Corco, welcome back.” Chaupic di Pluritac, prime minister of Medala for forty years, looked exactly how Corco remembered him. The same small stature, the same sharp facial features and the same stiff smile, trained to immovability by a lifetime of political intrigue.

”Prince Corcopaca Titu Primu Pluritac has returned.” Since Chaupic hadn't called Corco crown prince or even used a proper greeting, Corco decided to hit back in the most subtle way he could muster. The inclusion of his childhood name 'Primu' made the line of succession clear. Whether the old minister liked it or not, Corco was the eldest prince. While Chaupic was still busy playing statue, Corco taunted the size of his 'welcome'.

”So where is everybody? Did bedtime come early? Tough day today?”

”Prince Corco jests,” the minister said, his smile unchanged. ”Empress Mother Ichilia is in the harem. At this late hour, she cannot exit unless she wishes to appear unseemly. Meanwhile, Prince Pachacutec has accompanied Elder Caelestis on a visit to Lord Ichilia's lands. They aim to procure food for the warriors camped outside the walls. Prince Amautu, on the other hand, could not be found on such short notice and must have gone to bed by now. It is unfortunate, but Prince Corco's runner sent us the message belatedly. As such, we could not prepare an adequate greeting. This servant apologizes from the bottom of his heart.”

As he did his best to ignore the slimy act of the old politician, Corco looked at his grand 'welcome' again. One old minister and a handful of servants stood to greet the dead emperor's eldest son. Since they were barely bothering to keep up a facade of minimum politeness, Corco wouldn't be bothered with etiquette either.

”Whatever. Is there any other steps or is this it, oldtimer?”

”This old man wonders if prince would need to visit his father,” the old man smiled.

”Please kindly fuck off,” Corco smiled right back. ”I just came home, I'm not properly prepared and I'm dirty. What kind of trap are you trying to lead me into exactly?”

Although he remained calm on the outside, Corco was fuming at the old man's brazen ploy. Worshipping his dead father now would have been a massive breach in form, which would have looked terrible in front of the other lords. However, even after his plan had been found out, the culprit remained calm. His face didn't even flinch as he responded.

”Deepest apologies, Prince Corco. This servant is old and confused.”

Frustrated, a tired Corco stared Chaupic down for a while, before he gave up and looked over to the red castle instead. Not even the stone and wood could be any less responsive than this old bastard.

”I'm not dealing with this bullshit today,” he said. ”I've been traveling for months to get here. So we'll just pretend we had a good talk. Then we came to the conclusion that we should go towards the castle and find a bed for me. How's that sound?”

He hadn't even entered, but Corco already remembered why he had never liked the palace.

”As prince wishes. Though,” Chaupic took a look behind the prince, ”this servant is inconsolable, but the rules of the palace do not allow the foreigners to enter.”

”They're my warriors and my guards. You want me to be without protection?” Corco asked wide-eyed. Wasn't this too shameless, even for the imperial family?

”Prince misunderstands.” Chaupic waved his bony hand around in defense. ”This old servant is only concerned with Prince's reputation. Since they have not yet been officially confirmed as-”

”Fine, whatever. Go make room for them outside somewhere.”

While the minister turned and ordered two of his servants around, Corco had a premonition. To avoid any more nasty business, he might as well make the roles clear right away.

”I'll have to warn you, though. You best make sure my men are taken care of. If anything happens to them it will be on you.”

”I understa-”

”No, you don't understand,” Corco growled, his stance lowered like a wild beast. ”If my men end up injured or dead, I'll split you in half from your head to your sack. At that point, I won't give a damn just how it would affect my reputation.”

”I understand, Prince.”

As the old man kept up his smile through all the threats, Corco did his best to not punch his teeth in. He decided it was best to not look at the man and reduce contact in the future to a minimum. Instead, the prince looked up at the darkening sky. More and more, it seemed like a storm was brewing in the swirl of clouds.

After most of the prince's entourage had been taken care of, Prime Minister Chaupic led Corco and Fadelio, the only warrior they couldn't bar from entry, into Pluritac castle. They had just passed the entrance guards and were on their way up a flight of stairs to the sleeping quarters, when finally, for the first time in what seemed to have been an eternity, something went Corco's way.

By an absolute stroke of luck, they met a group of two, evidently on their way outside. Though the man who lead the way was much older than Corco remembered and sported a short beard, he was still unmistakably, unbelievably, hilariously, the second prince of the Medala Empire: The supposedly sleeping Prince Amautu Titu Secundu Pluritac.

There they stood, the first prince who had returned from overseas and the second prince who was about to go to bed. For a while they stared at each other as the widening grin on Corco's face threatened to split his head in two.