Chapter 2: Ripples of Fate
He blinked wearily, forcing his spine to remain straight despite the tiredness that assaulted him.
“My Liege.” The General spoke softly, looking at him squarely, cap under his arm as he sat across from the Prince in the carriage, “If you wish, we can resume the tour at a later date.”
How tactful.
“My thanks, General, but that will not be necessary. I must merely get used to the elevation difference. This is the land of my ancestors, I need to ensure that it is in good hands.” Maximilian responded, looking through the window as the horse started to move, the carriage moving along the road.
In truth, he was lying. The elevation had nothing to do with it, but rather something that he had been forced to become used to over the past few years.
Aether dreams.
A curse and blessing both, bestowed only to the magically inclined. No one knew precisely what caused them, they were a subject of intense academic debate. The Church claimed they were guidance from God, the Universities claimed they were visions brought about by intense desires interacting with the part of the brain that was responsible for one’s Command over Aether.
In truth, the Prince did not know what they were, only that he had been having them every single night since he was eight.
Most Aether dreams were very abstract, steeped in symbolism. It has become an intensely competitive field of study, many of the most common omens and portents had attempted to be decoded by some of the brightest magic users of the age. Maximilian had of course looked into their conclusions, but it helped little.
A bird taking flight over a burning forest? A sun rising on a field of flowers? If only his dreams were so lacking in clarity.
No, instead he was blessed with visions with very little room for interpretation. Soldiers marching in lockstep, uniforms and rifles gleaming. Great snaking lines of dug out earth, filled with mud and despair as explosions rained down on those huddled inside. Great machines bellowing smoke, travelling across the land upon veins of iron. Machines of tread and metal, crushing opposition and shrugging off all that was shot their way.
A single drop, loosed upon the earth only to result in an artificial sun.
He didn’t like enclosed spaces, like this carriage. It reminded him too much of the trenches.
Shaking his head, he focused on the world outside the carriage, looking through the windows at the town.
He watched as Lestride’s soldiers patrolled, eyes keenly sweeping the street, hands never far from their rifles. Yet, instead of being afraid, the people instead greeted them warmly, smiling and waving as they passed by. As the carriage travelled past the scene, he returned to the officer who was even now giving him a considering look.
“I find it odd, General.” He broke the silence, speaking to the man, “That a town under Martial Law is in such good spirits. I was expecting my orders to be greeted with a lot more resentment.”
“The Eisenburg Police have been lax in their duties, if you will forgive me for saying so, my Prince. The streets have not been safe for some time, but apparently even a single night of my men on the watch has been enough to bring the crime rate down significantly.” The General replied, voice professional as always.
“I see. I noticed the figures in the report you provided this morning. Your soldiers prevented several attempted murders and even a few rapes, correct?” He inquired, causing the General to shift uncomfortably, obviously not eager to discuss such things with a boy as young as him.
Still, the man answered, “Yes, my Prince. We have commandeered a jail cell for the arrested suspects and are keeping guard over them there. Once Martial Law is lifted, they will have trials, but for now-”
The Prince cut him off with a clear order, “Execute them.”
“Pardon me, my Prince?” The General blinked, surprised by the suddenness, “You wish for us to execute them?”
“That is correct General.” The Prince looked out of the window once more, “This is the town of my Family. Before we built the Reich, before the Niederrauren viewed themselves as a singular people, we watched over these people. Those who would predate on them, who would take advantage of our subjects, have forfeited their right to continue to count themselves amongst them. The thieves may have their trial, but I wish for the murderers and rapists to be expunged from this city.”
The General nodded, a small smile quickly hidden on his face as he responded, “I will see it done, Prince Maximilian.”
Maximilian nodded back, without looking at the military man. Honestly he wished that all criminals were so easy to get rid of. This brought his thoughts to the activities that he was involved in, back at the capitol, as well as the reason for his reign test being so suddenly moved up.
He resisted the urge to sigh. Honestly, if his father was that annoyed by him revealing a corrupt minister, he should have just rooted out the rot himself. It was embarrassing, but in his mind, allowing such debasement to continue was even more abhorrent.
Of course, he was usually much more subtle, but his father had forced his hand. Eisenburg had problems, but dealing with them and returning this town to it’s rightful place as a Jewel of the Reich was a simple matter, compared to navigating the politics of Bad-Engelsheim.
He turned away from the windows, the carriage just crossing into the industrial sector, the refineries belching smoke into the sky all that could be seen from the portal. His gaze fell to the dutiful General, who was staring ahead, obviously within his own thoughts. Moving past the officer, he looked to his right, where his newspaper lay.
It was an old copy, printed sometime last month. But the front page didn’t concern him. No, the article that made him choose Eisenreich for his Reign Test lay deeper within its pages. The Royal Exhibition of the Holy Order of the Lion. The Lion Kingdom’s greatest display of technological and magical marvels. One of the featured inventors for this Expo was Niederrauren, more to the point, he attended the Eisenburg University for Advancement. He had already arranged a meeting for later that week, so now all he had to do was wait.
Patience had been drilled into him at a young age.
“My Prince?” The General’s voice brought his gaze back to him, “Would you be partial to a small detour?”
“A detour?” He questioned, getting a nod from the other man.
“Indeed. There is currently a Rating ongoing at the local recruitment centre. It’s along our way, I wished to ask if you would like to observe.”
The Prince hummed at the offer.
A Rating. The testing and assigning of Mage Ranks. He could feel his rosette containing his own, even now pressed against his breast by his pocket. It had been some time since he had seen one.
“Very well General Lestride.” He answered, “I shall gladly take you up on the offer.”
The General smiled, before he turned to instruct the driver.
Perhaps this is just what Maximilian needed to take his mind off of things.
---III---
She gently smiled, the expression having become her default one that she wore everywhere. It was one of the few useful things her mother had taught her, that a Princess needed to be mindful of her appearance at all times. Still, this smile had a very real undercurrent of satisfaction to it.
Accompanied by the rasp of a brush through hair, her Maid of Honour picked up on this fact, commenting, “I am glad you are in better spirits, Princess.”
“I can hide nothing from you, Iselle.” She replied, softly shaking her head, “I was just told the morning headlines. Maximilian has wasted absolutely no time in making his displeasure with Eisenburg’s state clear.”
“I see.” Iselle replied, her pointed ears twitching slightly as she smiled as well, “There was quite the commotion in the Stag when they woke up to find he had declared Martial Law and fired many of their friends.”
“Come now, Iselle.” The Princess lightly chided, “I am sure that they are merely worried for the citizenry.”
Her words brought a grin to the face of her friend, as her own smile gained more humour to it. The nobility and the civilian government had not been having a particularly pleasant last few months and with Maximilian acting like bloodhound in one of the most corrupt cities in the nation, that was unlikely to improve any time soon.
“Well Princess, you would know better than me.” The Handmaid responded, the Half-Elf reaching for the jewelled hairpins set out on a cushion, “Although, I do have news of my own. I apologise, but it will not bring you as much amusement as the others.”
“Do not apologise.” The Princess responded, “It is always more preferable to be informed than not.”
“As you say.” With long practised grace, Iselle threaded the spun golden locks of her hair through the clasp of an ornament, “The Kaiserin has sequestered herself this morning, delving into talks with the diplomatic delegation from the Lion. The Anglish Ambassador was in attendance as well.”
“Mother did that?” The Princess hummed, surprised, “That is rather out of character for her. Do you know what they discussed?”
“No, my Lady, but I did ask Helga to attend them.” Was the reply, causing her to nod in recognition.
So they didn’t know what the meeting was about yet, but they would soon. Well, all they could do at this point was wait. Although, the Princess had a good idea about what the likely topic of conversation was about. Thankfully, such a thing would take time to finalise, giving her the needed window to interfere with said plans.
Iselle’s hands paused in their ministrations as there was a knock on the Princess’ door.
“Dear sister.” Came a familiar, rich baritone, “Are you decent enough to entertain a visit?”
Iselle sighed, before she smoothed out the locks she was about to adorn, before stepping back and nodding towards her.
“Of course, dear brother.” She called out, wondering what had occasioned this particular visit, “You may come in.”
The door opened, revealing the immaculate appearance of her eldest brother, the Crown Prince Wilhelm. Fully formally dressed, not a hair out of place, his blue eyes scanning the room and alighting upon her form. He smiled, warmth radiating from his visage, yet not quite reaching his eyes.
“A vision of beauty and grace as always, Victoria.” He spoke kindly, walking into the room before fixing Iselle with a pointed look, “May I have some time alone with my sister?”
The Half-Elf curtsied, “Of course, Your Highness.”
She turned and moved out of the door that he had just entered, softly closing it behind her, but not very likely to wander much further than that. As she left, the Prince’s gaze narrowed at her, a flash of displeasure on his face.
“You know Victoria, several Noble houses have asked me to help find places for their children. Maybe one of their daughters could make for a fine Maid of Honour?” He spoke, gaze returning to her.
“Maybe, Wilhelm.” She responded, gentle smile firmly in place, “If I am ever in the need for one, I shall consider it.”
He looked at her levelly, before deciding to let it go for now. Instead, he placed down a bundle of paper on her desk, the large printed words sticking out starkly from the bundle. ‘Terror in Eisenburg!’, the newspaper seemed to almost crow.
“Not even a single day, yet your partner in crime seems to have already caused chaos.” Wilhelm tapped the headline, “It’s vital that shipments and trade from Eisenburg remain undisrupted. This could damage our manufacturing capability for months.”
“Such considerations are much too far above me, dear brother.” The Princess kept her voice completely guileless, “But if it is such an emergency, is there anything I could do to help?”
Her brother sighed, “You are the only one he will listen to, for now. Could you write him a letter and ask him to not act in such a destructive fashion? It’s like he’s a raging beast.”
She held her tongue, wishing dearly to remark that if there was not so much to get angry about, Maximilian would likely not be so furious. Instead, she simply nodded.
“Of course, Wilhelm. I shall pen one immediately, letting Max know just what I think of his actions.” Her voice was perfectly crafted, concern shining through every word.
The reply brought a hand to Wilhelms face, as he covered his eyes and sighed, “Dear sister, such an act might work on others, but not your family. I once joked at a function that you had the most power out of any member of the Family, as none of us could bear to refuse you. Could you please just do this, for your favourite brother?”
Acting to support her favourite brother was precisely what she was doing, she thought to herself, but instead her words were, “Of course. Max should know that going too far too fast would be counter-productive. I will remind him of that.”
“Thank you.” The Prince’s shoulders sagged, “Oh and I have more news for you. Father was in talks for your betrothal, but unfortunately, the candidate has run into some personal difficulties and has ceased to be an option. I don’t know if anyone informed you yet, but you should know.”
“Oh my, I hope he will be fine.” She replied, having already known this, “I’m sorry that this has been so difficult for father.”
“It’s been difficult for me too, you know. Rather suspicious, as well, in fact. As soon as a candidate is decided upon, some scandal or other misfortune inevitably befalls them. Father is not blind, he noticed that most of these were discovered by Maximilian.” His eyes took in every inch of her face, looking for a reaction.
Which she gave, her eyes widening as she covered her mouth in shock, “Oh dear, you think he was deliberately targeting the candidates? That’s quite the accusation, Wilhelm.”
He closed his eyes, before shaking his head, a grin on his face, “Regardless of the truth, with him sent to Eisenburg, we shall see if the misfortune persists. There have been talks, you know, that betrothal to you is a poisoned chalice. If we don’t fix the problem soon, it will likely be impossible to find someone willing to take the risk.”
Victoria privately reflected that, knowing the greed of the people her father and brother were courting, such an outcome was unlikely.
“Cheer up, dear sister. We shall find you the perfect match, eventually.” Wilhelm nodded, before he picked up his newspaper and left the room, “I wish you well for the day, Victoria.”
“You too, Wilhelm.” She responded, “Please be safe!”
Inwardly, she scoffed. The ‘perfect match’ indeed.
---III---
“Greetings, young ones.” The uniformed man spoke as they were lined up on a field in front of him, “Welcome to your Rating. What you discover here will determine the course your lives take, soon and far into the future.”
As he was speaking, several more men walked to stand besides him, two in similarly clad in Military uniforms while one was rather haphazardly dressed, his scruffy clothes covered by a white coat.
The one in charge nodded to the others, before continuing, “My name is Colonel Holt and I shall be the head examiner. I am a C Class Mage and have Flight Training and Certifications. As a Member of WIG, I am looking forwards to working with those of you who show promise in the future.”
He turned and walked to a table that was beside him, before pulling of the cloth covering small, hand sized balls of blue crystal that lay on the wooden platform, “Some of you have been told what the Rating entails by your parents, however, some of you are only here because your talent has been noticed and you were instructed to present yourselves. I ask for your patience as I explain the procedure.”
He bowed shallowly to the grouping of young men and women whose clothes were noticeably finer than the rest of the group, something that Erika knew meant that they were nobles. The more common people around her shuffled a bit at that, but Erika simply continued to pay attention, trusting the providence that had led her to this moment.
“Mages are ranked on a system from A to E.” The Colonel resumed his speech, “This is a measure of how much Command you have over the magical energy around you. A D class mage will always be overpowered by a C class, meaning that the higher classed mage will be able to usurp control over any spell the lower ranked mage attempted to use. That doesn’t mean the lower ranks are defenceless, of course, should you be accepted into the Academy there are whole courses dedicated to overcoming the disadvantage.”
He picked up one of the balls, holding it out and making it glow with his own energy, the orb lighting up a brilliant blue, “This is a rather simple spell, which we will teach you over the next few minutes. It does not take too much effort or attention to usurp, so you will then proceed to attempt to do so against each of us. The one you fail to take control of will share your ranking.”
He then turned to indicate the scruffy man in the coat, “This is Professor von Metz, who has agreed to join us for the Rating. He is ranked as Non-viable, which means that although he has the ability to control Magic, the amount of Command he has over it is not suitable for combat. Despite this, he is the most respected researcher in all the Reich. Remember, just because you were found to be Non-viable for combat, there are still many jobs and industries that are in desperate need for Mages. Your service will be commended, regardless of where you rank.”
His green eyes swept up and down the lines of young people before him, before he smiled, “Do you have any questions for me?”
One of the Nobles stepped forward, head held high, “Yes, I wished to ask, what Rank should we need to achieve to qualify for Flight Mage Training?”
The Colonel nodded, “A good question. D Rank is generally required to use the Flight spell and be able to summon barriers at the same time. Therefore, combat Flight Mages need to be at least D. E ranked Mages can still join WIG, but they would be relegated for domestic courier services and tasks were the threat of interception is minimal.”
The Noble boy nodded at that, before another one asked a question and another after that. Erika paid close attention to every question and answer, making sure she didn’t miss anything important, but most of them were in a similar vein, inquiring about which ranking went where.
She thought it was rather silly of them to ask, after all, the Military would make certain they were assigned to their proper places, regardless of what they wanted or wished for. The Lord did not grant you what you desired, only what you needed.
At that thought, she gripped her pendant, the familiar triangle of iron giving her the comfort it always did. God was watching, she was sure of it.
Soon, the orbs were passed out, the cool mineral producing a tingling buzz against her skin. She was taught by the Professor, who was beaming at her as she did so, how to take that buzz and compress it into the ball, making is shine a brilliant azure glow.
“Most magnificent. I can tell, you are a talented one, young lady.” The Professor remarked, before he reclaimed the orb and moved onto the next person.
It took some longer than others, but soon everyone had learned the spell and the true Rating could begin.
They lined up, with Erika towards the middle of the pack, before being told to approach the examiners, each of whom had one of the Orbs. They started with the Professor, who made the Orb glow red, a more advanced version of the spell, and were told to make the Orb glow blue instead.
Most the ones before her were done rather quickly. Almost all of them failed on the examiner just after the professor, revealing them to be an E Class. Some failed on the professor himself, dashing their hopes of joining the Academy and becoming members of the Mage Corps. In the thirty people before her, only two were rated as D, both of them receiving quick congratulations from the Colonel and quickly directed to speak with another soldier, who was waiting off on the side. One of the D classes was the Noble boy who asked the first question, looking rather proud of himself.
Then, it was her turn. She stepped up to the Professor, who’s brown eyes lighted up in recognition his white hair swaying as he nodded towards her.
“Ah, young lady. It is your turn, yes? Just as I showed, you, make the Orb light up please.” He smiled gently, before producing the red glowing object.
She reached out, placing a hand on the Orb, feeling the buzz, before smiling at him, “Thank you for your kindness.”
The Orb turned blue and the Professor grinned, “As expected. Please do the same to Gustav next, I look forward to your results!’
She nodded in reply, moving up to the E Class examiner who, with a serious face, presented his own Orb. That she swiftly turned blue, getting a nod of recognition from him. Erika noted that upon her doing so, the field had quieted, as if everyone was holding their breath. Ignoring the tension, she marched toward the next examiner with purpose. The D Class mage, a woman with a ponytail of brown hair, smiled at her as she approached.
“Always happy to see more women joining the Mages.” She spoke, “Stick in there, okay?”
“I shall do my best.” Erika responded, before turning the Orb of the women blue, causing the female Mages eyebrows to raise and her smile grow wider.
Erika then approached the Colonel, whose eyes were appraising her as she did so.
“How young are you, Miss Krowner?” He asked, causing her to pause briefly at his knowledge of her name.
“Fourteen, sir.” She responded, curtsying as she did so.
“So young and already so talented. You have bright future ahead of you.” He spoke, before presenting his own orb.
If the field was silent before, it went deathly still as the orb turned blue. The Colonel’s eyebrows rose high at the defeat, before they scrunched in concentration. Erika felt the buzz in the Orb shiver slightly, but she kept it from moving, just like she had been taught.
The Colonel’s eyes found her own, remarking, “Brighter than I thought, it seems. Miss Krowner, if it is not too much to ask, could you please-”
He cut himself off, looking towards a differently uniformed soldier who was running from the office. The soldier arrived and started to whisper to the Colonel, who nodded along to his words. As this occurred, life started to return to the field, with whispers and queer looks abounding. The centre of this attention, Erika, started to feel the first inklings of nervousness.
“I apologise, Colonel. Did I do something wrong?” She questioned, causing both men to look at her.
The colonel shook his head, before straightening his shoulders, “Far from it, Miss Krowner. Such a performance merely attracted attention. If you please, someone has asked to speak with you. Follow Lieutenant Gers, if you would. This is not a meeting you decline.”
Erika reached for her pendant, feeling the iron triangle to be warm to the touch. Reassured by the omen, she nodded to the Colonel, “Thank you for taking care of my examination, Sir.”
“You are most welcome, child.” He replied, before turning to the whispering crowd, “Resume the Rating!”
Lieutenant Gers spoke to her next, “Please follow me, Miss Krowner. They are waiting in the observation room.”
She fell into step behind him as he started to lead her, inquiring, “Am I allowed to ask who they are?”
Gers thought about it for a moment before replying in a low voice, “Let me just say that I am acting on Royal Authority.”
Erika’s heart started to beat faster at the answer. Her dreams were right. God had guided her to this moment.
She was about to meet the Prince of Eisenburg.