Kadeus was enjoying himself upon the battlements of Castle Vicordropa. Lady Relana, the future Lady of Vicordropa, stood at his side. She'd recently begun joining him when he made his tours of the castle.
For what reason, Kadeus did not know, and he ultimately did not care. Lady Relana may have been his wife, but they were not lovers, as of yet.
As the two stood, conversing over the topic of Middlesse's shipbuilding skills, he heard the clink of soldier's armor. Turning, he saw a soldier run up to them, kneeling frantically and spilling words out with no separation like a drunk.
"AnArtisthasarrivefromtheIsleatonceyoucome!"
Kadeus snorted and replied, "Soldier, I'll need you to slow."
"Aye… An Artist has come! One from the Isles, says he's here to serve you, my lord."
Kadeus' eyebrows shot up. The soldier saw his cue and began running. Kadeus bolted after him, his ladywife in tow. They flew through the castle, moving swiftly towards the main tower's red door. The door was opened by the guards who saw them approaching, and so Kadeus entered to see who was there.
In the hall, where a few minor houses were attending to the Lady Rhaella, a single man stood separated from the others by soldiers. The person was wearing a hood and their robes gave them wide shoulders. As Kadeus entered, the figure took off its hood, and Kadeus felt his heart drop.
It was not a man, contrary to what the soldier had told him. A woman, skin dark as Bab tree, and eyes as white as a star, stood. Night black hair, clean as any respecting Queen rolled down the woman's back and stayed curled until it reached below her butt. He knew her.
It had been years since there first and only meeting. At the time, she'd told him she was a wayward Artist. One headed away from the Isle. He'd been a mere child when they'd met, but she had not aged a day.
When they'd met, his city had been suffering a terrible famine. The woman had arrived on time, and she'd done magic. From nowhere, the people's bellies were filled. Meat for the muscles and grain for their energy, she'd provided it. She'd only asked for Kadeus' father to meet with her.
Even then, years later, Kadeus' father told him, she'd only thanked the man and gone on her way north. Yet here she was now, no less beautiful, almost a full decade later.
Lady Rhaella stood and spoke, "Ulum, Artiste of the North Isle. Says she's here for you, good lord."
Kadeus spoke in the manner she'd taught him, "Reverence is due." e
Ulum was not her name. Kadeus knew that immediately, it was the title she'd been given as her name.
She replied with a curtsy and, "Reverence is received."
The woman wore white robes with red symbols. The robe was top-heavy, making her shoulders look large and giving her the appearance of a priest. Something that Kadeus was sure would not be liked.
Lady Rhaella asked the question needing to be asked, "Who is she to you? I can see your gaze lingering, good lord, despite your status as married."
Kadeus caught the accusation with deft swiftness, "Of course I am married, m'lady. She is an old acquaintance who served my father for a little moment."
Kadeus saw relief flood his wife, who was next to him. That relief was unwarranted; the woman would be given an advisory position on his council immediately. Within a day, Kadeus was readying himself to move back to his seat of power in Renous.
Lady Relana sat next to him in the carriage. His new advisor, Ulum, sat across them as they went towards the nearest port city.
Lady Relana rested her head on her husband's shoulder and let curiosity get the better of her.
"What are you Artistes?"
Caution flooded Kadeus and tentatively warned her, "My Lady..."
Ulum grinned and replied, "My Lady, we are of the new world. We push the limits of our known reality."
Lady Relana sighed and replied, "Could you be more straight and forward, Artiste?"
Ulum chuckled and replied, "Yes. We know magic, we are Drakan tamers, and in the deep south, all the way to Qunqua, we tend to their Wyrms."
Kadeus replied, "Yes, she's to help me in rebuilding my city. I wish to pass it off to my younger brother now that he is soon to be of age."
"What?!"
Relana's face twisted, and she spoke again, "You are supposed to have a seat of power. Was that not a major reason my mother married us?"
"Indeed, but she also knew that I would not keep the power. I am a general, not a man of thrones."
"All men want a throne when it's that or death," Ulum spoke, "That's from my teacher, it's the reason we will see the Artists everywhere."
Relana raised an eyebrow, "For what reason?"
"The balance has changed, and the Artist's home of the Isles is home to very powerful people. They sensed the change. It's why the people are being enslaved, it's why there's a suddenness to the desire to have power. Evil is gaining a foothold."
Relana looked upon her husband, whose silence was beginning to disturb her. He had not replied; instead, he gazed out the viewport of the carriage.
He was handsome; no wonder her mother had originally wanted to be the one to marry him.
Kadeus was a well-built man with strong arms that were built for killing enemies. Long, tightly curled hair combed back, and fangs. The fangs always caught her when he smiled, though she did not know if it was the fact that he was smiling or the fangs themselves. He so rarely smiled, but she'd seen it, and that alone made her glad to be at his side.
Relana shifted, moving herself to lay her head on his lap. This would be a long ride until they got to the port.