A hot breeze drifted carelessly across the northern lands of Vanura, its force swirling around to create a unique scent of earth and life. Collecting this smell, the breeze danced into the stronghold of Collina, trading the smells of nature with the noise of civilization. As the breeze ran through the main castle, the sound of pure anguish and pain split the mundane world apart, the cry carrying far and wide.

  Lord Falka Nazau subconsciously felt his knees hit the hard floor, his face twisting in agony as his mind refused to believe what he was seeing. In front of him lay the body of his third-born son, Ronan. His body was pale and lifeless.

  Clutching his teeth tightly, the Tiger Lord of Vanura tenderly reached for his son, hands trembling as he caressed his cheek.

  Tears, breaking through the walls of his hardened soul, began to fall, leaving hot streaks down his cold, disbelieving face.

  “Ronan,” he whispered, holding his son to his chest, his voice sounding haunted even to his ears.

  Although Lord Nazau loved all his sons, he had always held a soft spot for Ronan.

  Fate was not kind to Ronan. Born frail and sickly, the boy suffered the rare misfortune of being born without the family Crest, his future as a warrior cut short before he even had the chance to stand.

  And yet, the boy had pressed on, never complaining, never blaming his ill-gotten hand.

  Watching his son, Lord Nazau felt the pain and shame Ronan carried. He observed with a mix of pride and sorrow as the boy trained tirelessly with the sword, his frail body refusing to improve despite his efforts.

  As a natural-born warrior, Lord Nazau had no idea how to help his son. His years of martial prowess were meaningless in the face of the gods’ cruel joke. But where lesser men might have abandoned such a child, Lord Nazau chose to do the opposite. He brought Ronan to every meeting, every military council. If his son could not be a warrior, then he would become the greatest mind in the Kingdom.

  At first, Lord Nazau could tell that his son did not like the arrangement. His crestfallen face barely masked the shame he felt every time he was pulled away from training with his brothers.

  But to Lord Nazau’s approval and joy, Ronan devoted himself just as fiercely to learning about taxes and trade deals as he did to practicing with the sword.

  As the years passed, Ronan began to soak up knowledge as if he were starving for it. Every lesson, every word, every example was taken in and meticulously sorted in his brilliant mind.

  “Who killed my son?”

  The words were forced out of Lord Nazau’s constricted throat; his jaw was rigid from anger. Each word filled the room like a heavy giant.

  “Four days ago, we were at a pub when Lord Essen Galra’s son, Bricks, attacked Ronan,” Cripton answered, his face covered in tears. His once expensive clothes were ruined by blood and dirt.

  When his horse could no longer keep up with the brutal pace he had set, Cripton had carried his brother's body on his back, leaving Ryker and Miles behind as he ran the rest of the way.

  “A family who’s barely fit to be counted as a Great House dare to kill my son?” Lord Nazau growled, unconsciously drawing the Aether that surrounded him. The room cracked with suffocating rage.

  Turning to Cripton, he asked, eyes blazing. “Why didn’t you protect him? How did you allow him to be killed? Why is the head of Essen’s son not here?”

  “Father,” Cripton had his head lowered, the smell of self-loathing palpable to Lord Nazau’s power-enhanced senses.

  “I have failed our family. Ronan was taken by surprise—Bricks ran him through before I could act. Ryker and I tried to avenge him. We tried to kill Bricks and his older brother, Shyldis, but Lord Tulka Bovera and Kornel Bovera stopped us.

  "If it had only been the sons of Lord Galra, I’m confident I could have killed them both myself. They’re nothing. They’re unworthy of being called warriors.”

  Hearing Tulka’s name, Lord Nazau paused. Tulka was a veteran warrior. His son wouldn’t have stood a chance against him.

  “Tulka dares to take the side of a murderer?” he growled, his presence radiating a dangerous intensity. For years, after countless dealings with the House of Bovera, he had believed Tulka to be the rational one. He had been wrong.

  “I will never forgive them! I’ll see both Houses reduced to rubble,” he said. “Cripton! Call all our banners. I want every one of them to be here by the end of the week—no exceptions. I will personally lead our army to Galra!”

  “Father,” Cripton stammered. “Most of our soldiers are stationed at the border between our lands and Lord Apra. If we recall them, Lord Apra would try to retake our silver mines.”

  Cursing out loud, Lord Nazau hurled a chair across the great hall, watching it splinter into pieces as it tumbled away.

  “Leave a skeleton force to hold the border. Avenging Ronan is our priority!” he spat, his anger shifting towards Lord Apra. After destroying Galra and Bovera, Apra would be next.

  “Yes, Father. But without our full army, can we truly go to war? House Bovera will come to Galra’s aid. Not only is Tulka involved, but Lord Galra’s daughter, Lancia, recently married Lord Bovera’s son, Kornel. Lord Bovera will have no choice but to aid Galra. We’ll be facing the combined forces of Galra and Bovera. Even if we win, we’ll lose a third of our strength.”

  “Even so, we must act!” Lord Nazau roared, a deep, menacing rumble rising from his chest. “Our house was built on blood and death. We will show our enemies once again what it means to anger the Tiger Lords of Vanura. Summon the banners!”

  “I understand,” Cripton said, his uncertain voice gaining strength as he straightened up. “I’ll assemble the banners.”

  Turning back to his fallen son, Lord Nazau knelt beside him, clutching his lifeless body.

  “Don’t worry, Ronan. I will avenge you,” he whispered, tears streaming down his face. “I swear, I will kill all those responsible for your death.”

  “Todo, what did you say?!” Hector sprang to his feet, knocking over the ink bottle on his desk. The black ink spilled across the letters he had been working on, turning them into a mess of black and white.

  Cursing, he grabbed a cloth and blotted at the ink before stopping. It was too late; the letters to Lord Nazau, Lord Galra, and Lord Bovera demanding an explanation were ruined.

  “My Lord, there is movement among the Northeastern Great Lords. Lord Bisconti Bovera is leading an army of three hundred towards Galra. There are also reports of Lord Ulric Para leading his cavalry of two hundred strong towards Galra.”

  “What! Why?” Hector demanded, grabbing the tipped ink bottle and setting it up. His fingers were strained black. “Why is Lord Para moving?”

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  Since the death of Lord Nazau’s son, he had been trying to get in front of the situation, but the involvement of Lord Para was unexpected.

  “My Lord,” Todo replied, his arms at his side. “Lord Tulka was present during the assault; he was the one who prevented the sons of Lord Nazau from killing Lord Galra’s sons.”

  “Yes, but why is Lord Para moving?” Hector demanded, his mind racing as he tried to calculate the actions of the Great Lord.

  “My Lord, Lord Tulka is married to the daughter of Lord Para. The three Great Houses have formed an alliance bound by marriage and circumstance. The Great Houses of Bovera and Para have joined the conflict to keep their word and reputation!”

  Feeling his stomach drop, Hector clenched his hands tightly, his knuckles popping grotesquely. The situation was escalating at an alarming rate. According to his gut feeling, House Nazau still had a fifty percent chance of winning even with the involvement of House Para. If this were allowed to happen, the very power structure of the Kingdom would collapse.

  “Where is Queen Milina!” he demanded, wiping his fingers on a cloth and tossing it on his desk.

  “The Queen is currently training in the back of the castle,” Todo answered hurriedly.

  Rushing out of his office, Hector threw all the dignity of royalty out the window and began to run, his expression so intense that everyone who saw him scurried out of the way.

  Passing startled maids and butlers, he made his way to the training field, Todo hot on his heels.

  As they reached their destination, he instantly spotted the Queen.

  “Your Majesty!”

  “Uncle, are you here to train?” Milina called back to him, patting the sweat from her forehead with a towel, a bright smile on her face.

  Ever since Hector had begun training her in their family’s martial system, she had been smiling more, her strength growing rapidly. He wasn’t sure if it was due to her natural talent or the effort she had put in, but in just a couple of days, she was already as good as someone who had trained for weeks.

  “My Queen, there is an urgent matter we must attend to!” he quietly whispered, barely taking the time to bow.

  “Urgent?”

  All traces of exhaustion faded from Milina’s face, the glistening of sweat the only traces of her past emotional state.

  “There is potential for a war between the Great Houses,” Hector informed her, his eyes locked with hers. “But this is not the place to have this conversation. The small council room is not far from here. Let us hurry!”

  “Uncle, lead the way!” Milina instantly said, the gears in her head shifting her mindset.

  Rushing over to the council room, followed by Todo, the three barely took the time to make sure that the room was secure before starting the meeting.

  Waiting for Milina to sit first, Hector patiently took a deep breath, his mind racing in a thousand directions.

  “Explain the situation!” Milina finally stated, looking back and forth between him and Todo.

  Clearing his throat, Hector spoke.

  “As you know, Lord Nazau’s son, Ronan, was killed by Lord Galra’s son, and when the sons of Nazau tried to avenge him, Lord Tulka stepped in and stopped them.

  “We thought the three Houses would fall out. What we didn’t know was that through marriage, House Para was involved. Now, both Bovera and Para are sending troops to Galra.

  “At this rate, the entire Northeastern region of the Kingdom will go up in flames.

  “We must stop this war before it starts.”

  There was a stunned silence as Milina digested the information, her eyes narrowing.

  “Would Lord Nazau really fight against three Great Houses at once?” she asked. “If he learns of Lord Para’s involvement, will he stop? He can’t possibly win against all three!”

  “With his son’s death, Lord Nazau isn’t thinking logically,” Hector replied, placing both hands firmly on the table.

  “However, that’s not the real problem. The real problem is that House Nazau might actually have the strength to fight all three houses combined. Nazau doesn’t have a large standing army, but what they do have are well-trained farmers. Every farmhand over the age of sixteen is required to train for several weeks each year. If Lord Nazau calls all his banners, he’ll have a formidable army. What once made Nazau such a valuable asset to the Kingdom is now a threat.”

  “What are the chances he wins?” Milina asked, taking a deep breath through her nose.

  “I’d say fifty-fifty,” Hector replied, the muscles in his face twitching.

  “Without Para, Nazau could force Galra and Bovera to surrender without much bloodshed. But with Para involved, it’s a toss-up. What could have ended with House Nazau capturing and disarming the soldiers of Galra and Bovera has now become a conflict where both sides have the potential to win… If they fight to the death.”

  Grimacing at her uncle’s words, Milina gripped the armrest of her chair, her fingers turning white. “Will Lord Apra get involved?” she asked. “He was just driven from Lord Nazau’s silver mines.”

  “I don’t think so,” Hector replied. “He’ll probably sit back and observe before committing to anything. He’s known for scheming and testing boundaries, but not for his actions. He’s a coward. Even his occupation of the silver mines was a test. When conflict broke out, he abandoned them before Lord Nazau even reached him.

  “However… if Lord Nazau starts losing the war, Lord Apra won’t hesitate to take the mines again.”

  Milina sighed.

  “Lord Apra may be a coward, but at least for now, his inaction benefits us,” she said.

  “It does, just not as much as we’d like,” Hector said, motioning to Todo. “Bring the map.”

  Todo stepped forward with the map.

  “Lord Nazau would never leave the border with Apra unguarded,” Hector continued. “That means his army will be smaller when fighting the other Houses, which will only create more chaos.”

  “So, we have to stop the war from starting?” Milina stated. “But if we can’t… what is the worst-case scenario?”

  “If we fail to stop the war,” Todo said, unrolling the map and spreading it across the table. “The power structure of our Kingdom could collapse. One or more Great Houses might be wiped out. But the greater threat comes from outside our borders.

  “If Nazau loses, the Kingdom of Silkbug will have the opportunity to invade us and take Lord Nazau’s lands for themselves. Currently, they are being held back by Lord Nazau. Even if he were to win, the losses may be too great for him to continue defending the region. Either way, Silkbug may attack.

  “As for the combined forces, it is the same story but with Kandula. If this war is not stopped, both Silkbug and Kandula may invade us after the war.”

  “I thought we had peace treaties with both Silkbug and Kandula?” Milina asked, looking from Hector to Todo.

  “You’re right, Your Majesty,” Todo replied. “But according to our intelligence officers, King Walter of Silkbug is losing control of his court. In particular, he’s having difficulties with Lord Kon, whose territory borders Nazau and Galra.” He pointed to the northern border on the map.

  “If Lord Nazau’s army is depleted, there is a strong possibility that Lord Kon would ignore the King’s authority and invade.”

  “And Kandula?” Milina asked.

  “That’s a delicate situation,” Todo said. “After Prince Orda was humiliated at your coronation, Kandula blames us for not containing the spread of the news. They claim we allowed their prince to lose face across the continent.”

  “That makes no sense,” Milina snapped, “What do they expect us to do—silence the Silkbug envoys as well?”

  “I agree, Your Majesty,” Todo said. “But I suspect Prince Orda is lashing out at everyone he can. He may try to reclaim his honor through war, hoping to distinguish himself on the battlefield.”

  As Todo’s words sank in, Milina fell into deep thought. Her face grew pale, and her fingers drummed softly on the armrest.

  “If I were to marry a prince from one of the kingdoms likely to invade us, could we prevent an invasion?” she asked. Her words were louder than expected.

  “Your Majesty…” Hector breathed, his chest tightening with a mix of pride and sadness. As a warrior, he admired her resolve. As her uncle, he wished she didn’t have to bear this burden.

  “A marriage alliance might prevent an invasion. But first, I suggest we try to stop the war between our own Houses.”

  “How confident are you that we can?” Milina asked.

  “If I may, Your Majesty,” Todo interjected.

  “Do you have a plan, General?”

  “Yes, Your Majesty. I propose a duel between Lord Nazau and Lord Galra, with the Northern lands of Galra as the stakes. Five hundred years ago, those lands belonged to House Nazau. Ever since they were transferred to Galra, every Nazau Lord has demanded their return, claiming their House can never be whole without them.

  “If Lord Nazau has any sanity left, he won’t ignore the wishes of his ancestors. Reclaiming that land without bloodshed is too good to be true. He’ll have to accept.

  “As for Lord Galra… his son is at fault. Refusing a duel would make him appear dishonorable.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Milina murmured. “Between the two, who is stronger? Would the weaker one even agree to this?”

  “Lord Nazau is far stronger than Lord Galra,” Hector replied. “But if the duel isn’t to the death, I can convince Lord Bovera to help pressure Lord Galra into accepting. There is hope.”

  “If you’re confident, then I’ll leave it in your hands, Uncle.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty. I’ll send a letter to Lord Bovera immediately. Tomorrow morning, I‘ll ride north with a thousand men and try to arrange the duel.”

  “A thousand men?” Milina questioned. “Can we maintain order in the capital if you take that many with you?”

  “It’s a gamble, I know,” Hector said. “But I need the numbers to make a strong impression. I’ll leave the elite veterans here with you. Each one is worth at least two common soldiers. I trust them to keep the peace. By taking the younger, less experienced soldiers with me, I’ll have the added opportunity to train them. Will I’m gone, Todo will help you with anything you need.”

  Milina exhaled, then stood.

  “I feel as though I’ve aged ten years in just a couple of minutes,” she said with a weary sigh. “I approve of this plan. I expect good news from you soon.”

  “Yes, Your Majesty.”