To the Capital

You awaken some time before the dawn, Tara still sleeping in her bed. You lie there for some time, weighing your options. Perhaps dozing off through years of tactical training was finally coming back to bite you but no matter how you schemed, you couldn't imagine victory without making a tremendous gamble. IF you could raise your allies armies and IF you moved decisively and without resistance, you'd still drag the kingdom into a tremendous civil war. Finding and securing allies was a time consuming task, whichever way you planned this your mother would still have months to secure her position on the throne. Unacceptable. You hear Lord Garret's voice, cantankerous as always, "You'll lose half the country even if you win! You have to do better." Odd that a handful of random encounters with the Marshal would leave a greater impression than your weekly meetings with your tutor.

You've run through so many scenarios you're actually beginning to develop a bit of a headache by the time the sun starts to come up. Tara stirs and you regard her pensively, taking a break from strategizing and contemplating why she's upset with you. Maybe upset was a strong word... disappointed? Puzzling over it you realize it must have something to do with the spider folk yesterday. She was plenty happy when you cut her down... was it the manner in which you won? The killing blow had been a bit ruthless, you almost didn't have the stomach for it, but that was what a king had to be: strong, unwavering, willing to make the hard decisions and deal with the consequences.

The thought leaves a sour taste in your mouth as you realize you were The King of Itheria now that your father was gone.

"Something wrong Donmal?" Tara was giving you a confused look as you stared through her and you shake yourself, "No. Just... thinking."

She slides up out of bed, not wasting any time getting ready for the day, "About how we're going to take back your kingdom?" You consider bringing up the rift between you but think better for it, now was not the time. "Yes. No matter how I consider it, I can't get the kingdom back without discrediting my mother as queen. I have to show them she's a demon, it would be a bloodbath any other way."

"It might be a bloodbath anyway, demons aren't easily dealt with. Even a half demon is quite a threat." You sit up, frowning at her, not sure you like her implication. She raises an eyebrow, "You're well built Donmal but you lack the physical presence or skill to singlehandedly slay a spiderfolk matriarch. Your mothers blood makes you stronger and faster than you should be. Surely you must have noticed?"

You scoff, "I appreciate your compliment to my abilities but I'd hardly call them "demonic." The only reason I won was because Harmony was so light and the spider was so slow, a better swordsman would have finished her in a few swings."

Tara shook her head seriously, "She wasn't slow Donmal. I could barely keep up with any one of her arms and you were fast enough to block all of them. I've never heard Harmony sing so loudly for so long."

Mixed stirrings of pride and unease fill you as you dress. Could she be right? Had you unleashed some kind of hellish vitality in your fight yesterday? You consider your mothers abilities, anything you'd ever seen or heard her do. She must put up one hell of a facade for the entire court, yourself included, never to have realized she was a demon.

You stop midway through lacing a boot. "She's a demon." You say it slowly, almost incredulously. Tara sighs and pats you comfortingly on the shoulder but you brush her aside as you stand, "She is a demon!"

"Yes, what of it?" Tara regards you with some alarm, probably worrying that you'd snapped under the pressure. You grab the surprised elf by the shoulders, swooping in to give her a kiss before she can pull away, "Demons can be summoned!"