The Last Harvester

Chapter Five

Duncan Wolfe lon Diluc III woke to the sound of birds chirping outside his window. His eyes fluttered as he struggled to maintain consciousness. When he finally managed to keep his mind awake, he looked about him and discovered he was in the castle, back on his bed and in his room. He was garbed in a robe and had multiple bandages around his wounds and torso.

“Ah, the young prince is awake,” a familiar voice called.

Duncan checked the door and saw the family chamberlain, Sir Gregorio Heron, standing at attention. Duncan slowly sat up to address his servant and leaned back on the bed’s headboard. “I… I survived?”

Gregorio nodded and approached. He headed first to a bedside table and poured Duncan a glass of water, which he then promptly handed to the prince. As Duncan drank, Gregorio explained further. “Soldiers found you behind a bunch of crates and a ruined wall. You were lucky; without that protection, you would’ve burned to death from that explosion.”

“Valerie!” Duncan screamed as soon as Gregorio brought up the event.

To Duncan’s sorrow, the chamberlain only shook his head. “I… I am sorry to tell you, Your Highness, but Princess Valerie did not make it. We didn’t even find a body. The explosion must have disintegrated her as soon as it blew.”

Duncan threw his glass across the room and watched as it shattered against a wall. “I couldn’t save her. I couldn’t save Lord Victor either… I couldn’t save dozens of soldiers and civilians. Why did they all have to die? Why am I here when they aren’t?”

Gregorio sat on the edge of the bed and touched Duncan by the arm. “Your Highness… you shouldn’t blame yourself. Everyone knows you did everything you could. There was so much chaos going on. It’s taken us days to get things back in order.”

“Days?” Duncan looked up in shock. “How long was I out?”

“About a week,” the chamberlain answered. “Unfortunately, this isn’t the only place ravaged by those beasts. We had reports that the giant ogre and those smaller beasts first attacked the battlefield, right where our forces were engaged with the Imperial army.”

“So that’s why there were Imperials running into our city,” Duncan surmised. “But… what of my brother?”

The elder man shook his head and replied, “We don’t know where Prince Theros is. We don’t even know if he’s alive or dead. We’ve interrogated every Imperial soldier we’ve captured so far. Not even they saw what happened to the crown prince.”

Duncan leaned back and rested on the headboard. “Valerie’s dead. Theros is missing. Our eldest brother died months ago in the war. My friend Victor died fighting that ogre and we’ve got monsters emerging from the abyss now.”

“It all sounds quite dire, yes,” Gregorio noted. “That is exactly why your father has been waiting for you. He’s ready to call on a council meeting to determine what we should do next.”

“Whatever it is we do, we can’t afford to stop sending our forces out,” Duncan exclaimed. “We were attacked and we’ve lost a lot of men. We lost my sister too and the alliance we were hoping to lean on with Victor’s father. The Empire of Holn’neart will use our situation to their advantage. They could invade while we’re still here licking our wounds.”

The chamberlain nodded in agreement. “Your father figured as much. Lord Commander Anselm Herkyna too. They already organized a joint militia along with the barons. This unified force should keep the Imperials off our borders for a few weeks. It won’t hold, however.”

“The Imperials still have control over the border city of Lorngard. They’ll attack Utharon next.” Duncan had never felt this much frustration before. What was the point in winning against monsters from the Abyss if they’d fall prey to the Empire anyway?

Determined to fight back, Duncan turned to Gregorio. “Please alert my father that I am awake. We can hold the council meeting now. I’ll just take a moment to make myself presentable and then head to the war room immediately.”

“Your Highness,” Gregorio protested. “You’re still weak. You suffered multiple wounds and broken bones. Even with our best crystals and medical workers, you should still take a day or two to rest.”

Duncan rubbed his chest. It was true that the magitech used to treat his wounds remarkably healed his ribs and other wounds but the pain still lingered. Despite all that, he wasn’t going to waste time. “No. I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. It’s time to decide what our fate is today.”

Sir Gregorio paused and looked Duncan over. With a sigh, the chamberlain relented and turned around to leave. Before he did, he pointed to one of Duncan’s large wardrobes. “We held a short funeral in honor of your sister and Lord Victor. I advise that you still wear something appropriate even though the time of grieving has passed.”

The chamberlain then bowed and departed.

He didn’t have to tell Duncan twice. Once Duncan got up and off the bed, he first took a few minutes to wash his face in his personal bathing chamber. The chamber had a large pool in the center, filled with hot spring water, and the walls were covered from ceiling to floor with mirrors. He washed the bruises on his body and redid the bandages on his torso, ankle, and arms. Once clean and refreshed, he headed back into his room and opened his wardrobe.

The prince plucked out a white undershirt and an elegant black tunic lined with silver embroidery. To match it, he grabbed jet black pants and a pair of black leather boots. Once dressed, he turned to the mirrors to groom his hair and make sure that his clothes were properly pressed and buttoned. 

Though his whole body ached, Duncan didn’t linger to rest. As soon as he was ready, he left his room and strolled down the castle hallway. He observed as each room he passed had people busy with research and medical work. There were soldiers everywhere, carrying food, clothes, and medical supplies. When Duncan reached the audience chamber, he saw that it was filled with refugees. Even the outdoor bailey had tents and food stalls. Rich and poor alike were gathered in the castle now.

The sight of people helping each other regardless of their social status, however, reminded Duncan why he believed in the war against the Empire of Holn’neart. It was true that the Empire had the larger forces and had been conquering smaller nations throughout the years but that wasn’t Duncan’s excuse for fighting. Some believed that the Empire wanted to conquer Fildebrand because of their magitech and the abundance of crystals in the kingdom. Even that wasn’t Duncan’s purpose in fighting.

He fought because it was only in Fildebrand that the concept of elitism didn’t take hold. There were tales of Imperials buying and torturing slaves. In far-off nations, the rich and poor didn’t even look each other in the eye when conversing. Here, in Fildebrand, rank and wealth didn’t mean much. Everyone had their purpose. Even the poorest baker or fisherman played a vital role in the kingdom. Every soldier and every maid had a part to play to further benefit the nation.

It wasn’t just idealism either. Duncan saw it firsthand during the attack. Soldiers and royalty alike fought against the ogre and the invading crystal beasts. Fildebrand soldiers and civilians fought alongside Imperial refugees, even when some of those Imperials turned their backs and started attacking the people in the city.

Duncan headed up a long flight of stairs that took him from the audience chamber to the king’s war room. When he reached it and walked inside,  he discovered he was not the first one there. Chamberlain Gregorio and Lord Rymart Clewane, the crown’s treasurer and one of the king’s advisors, were already seated.

Lord Rymart was a stern, prudent man and this could be seen even in the way he presented himself. Unlike most high lords who tried their best to keep up with the latest fashion or city trends, Lord Rymart was happy to shave off his hair and beard. He wore only the most formal clothing and always presented himself with an air of elegance and education, even in times when they were not always protocol. Duncan recalled a time when Lord Rymart wore his military attire during a festival at a beach.

“Your Highness,” Lord Rymart and Sir Gregorio greeted as they simultaneously rose to their feet.

“As you were,” Duncan replied and they all sat back down. Duncan took the seat right beside his father’s. 

“Shall we wait for your father?” Sir Gregorio asked.

“There’s no need,” a deep voice answered. Everyone rose to their feet as they all recognized the powerful tone of the king.

King Durandal Yeaster Diluc was a man who didn’t believe in half measures, from the way he presented himself to the manner of his ruling. He always groomed himself and presented himself with outstanding dignity. Though older now and obviously taking the toll from decades of war, he still stood tall and with his chin up. He wasn’t as muscular or athletic as he once was but Duncan knew his father could still sit a horse and charge in battle. The few who didn’t fear the king were either ignorant of his status or fools.

“Lord Umbron will be here shortly,” the king told his subjects. “That said, I believe we can get started. Our Lord of War will have to catch up. Now, Prince Duncan, I understand you just awoke. For you to call this meeting so abruptly means you have details to share regarding the recent attack.”

“I do, Father, as well as a proposal,” Duncan addressed as they all took their seats. “I called this meeting with one goal in mind: I want to dive down into the Abyss.”