Tenebris Renasci: A World of Magic and Gunpowder

Alexander and Elizabeth with both their small bag of assorted candies and their respective lollipops in hand, they approached the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper, an older man with a wide wrinkled smile, waved at Alexander and Elizabeth as they approached. "Well, you two certainly made a spectacle outside of my shop." He said with a soft chuckle. 

Elizabeth blushed out of embarrassment as she glanced at Donna, who stood at the door with her arms crossed. "Sorry Mr. Shopkeeper, I know Donna seems bad, but she's nice, I promise." She said softly.

Donna turned her head towards Elizabeth, a smile dancing on her lips. "Relax Beth, he's just teasing you."

A skeptical frown crossed Elizabeth's lips as she turned her attention back towards the shopkeeper. 

She saw that he still smiled warmly at her, and in return, Elizabeth returned the smile. 

"Now," the shopkeeper said as he turned his attention towards his till, "that's a pretty big bag of candy you got there your majesty, are you sure you can pay for it all?"

Elizabeth giggled as she turned towards Alexander. "Of course, I can pay!" She said happily, handing her candy to Alexander.

Alexander released her hand to grab her candy. As he took it, Elizabeth reached into her coat pocket to retrieve a large stack of Embers from her pocket.

No purse.

No wallet.

Just a fat roll of cash.

Holy hell!

Alexander hadn't ever seen so much money, he was shocked, bamboozled, bewildered even. 

The stack was mostly golden Embers, however, there were a few silver and copper bills as well. 

"Uhm, how much?" Elizabeth asked curiously, looking up towards the shopkeeper. 

The shopkeeper had an amused expression, "I think two coppers will do fine, Your Majesty." He replied.

Elizabeth nodded and retrieved two copper bills, she then handed the thin sheet to the shopkeeper. 

The shopkeeper accepted the bills with a smile. "Thank you, and have a good day."

"You too!" Elizabeth said happily as she pocketed her money. She then turned her attention towards Alexander and reached for her candy. 

Alexander, who was still shaken by the massive amount of money from earlier, handed the candy to her. 

With her candy in one hand, she used the other to grab Alexander's free hand. 

Now, with both their items paid for and in hand, they walked towards the entrance where Donna stood. 

Donna chuckled as she backed into the door, pushing and holding it open for the two children to walk outside. "Alright, you two, let's get moving." She ordered, her tone warm yet firm. 

As they walked back to the carriage, Elizabeth clung to both her candy and Alexander's hand. Her mood looked to improve visibly with her addition of candy.

It seemed that Alexander had made the right choice after all.

Even Victoria, who had been more reserved and uninterested, carried a small bag of her own. She only bought a few pieces of more refined and delicate chocolates, but she seemed content with her choices.

Donna helped everyone into the carriage the same way she helped everyone out. Once everyone was settled and ready to go, she joined Charles on the driver's bench. 

"Alright Charles, let's head to the brewery." She ordered.

Victoria looked slightly disappointed but didn't object. 

"So, what do you want to do next?" Elizabeth asked curiously.

Alexander simply smiled at her. "I'll do whatever you want." He replied.

Elizabeth giggled as she squeezed his hand. 

Then, with the flick of Charles' wrist, the carriage began rolling forward, pulling away from the candy shop. 

— — —

While Alexander enjoyed his outing with the royals, his "mother" and Queen Charlotte were busy discussing the invasion of the Fallen Kingdom. 

The two women sat around Béatrices tea table with Charlotte sipping her cup of tea. 

Béatrice watched her with an unreadable expression, her eyes narrowed and legs crossed. 

"So," Charlotte began as she placed down her tea, a grin dancing on her lips. "I assume you know of the Fallen Kingdom's current predicament, do you have any suggestions to fix it?" She asked curiously.

Béatrice sighed. "If it were up to me I'd have abandoned that kingdom to its fate seven years ago."

Charlotte chuckled, "I admit, when the war first started I was tempted to abandon them, however," she reclined in her seat as she turned her attention towards the window, "our people are endangered as is, besides the Fallen and Tora kingdoms, ours is all that remains."

Béatrice nodded, "That's true I suppose, however, we are weakening ourselves by playing protector, I believe it would be better to invest more into our navy to ensure our safety."

Charlotte nodded in agreement. "That was what I had considered before I came across some valuable information from my spies."

Béatrice raised an eyebrow, "oh?"

Charlotte smiled. "The empire will be leading a crusade against the Dvergr realm of Odin."

Béatrice's eyes widened. "Are they mad?!" She asked in disbelief and shock, "The Dvergr will rip them to shreds."

"Indeed." Charlotte replied, "And the best part is, the empire's forces have been stationary for a few days now, doing an organized retreat of their Grand mages."

Béatrice eyes widened further, almost popping out of her skull. "They're retreating, why?" She asked, "They have the advantage, no?" 

"They're retreating because of the incoming northern crusade," she explained, "they need everything for it, which means that they'll be vulnerable in the south."

Charlotte's smile then widened. "It's almost too perfect, I've already had my generals prepare a maneuver to break through their weakened lines and reclaim all lost territory."

Béatrice leaned back, her gaze drifting towards the window as she slowly shook her head. "If that's the case, then why are you here?" She asked, her voice almost a whisper.

Charlotte smiled, crossing her legs as she placed her hands into her lap. "Well, the death of Napoleon was a major blow to our military strength." She said with the nod of her head. "I simply wanted to know if house Nova could still stand on its feet without him, or if I should dissolve what's left of the Nova family, and combine their forces with the royal pathfinder corps."

Béatrice sighed as he expression grew grim, her yellow eyes shifting towards the ground. "Ahh, I see what you're playing at." Béatrice said softly, "You think I can't run this house without my husband?"

Charlotte simply raised a hand in the air. "I haven't said anything such as that, I simply want to know if it can stand on its feet, or if I should kill a wounded beast."

The atmosphere grew tense as the two women sat across from each other. 

Béatrice sighed as she straightened herself up, her yellow gaze befalling Charlotte, her eyes narrowing as she processed Charlotte's thinly veiled threat. "You come into my house, disrespect me, disrespect my family, and then you threaten to destroy it."

Charlotte quietly watched as Béatrice rose from her seat. "Do you know who I am?" Béatrice asked Charlotte, pointing a finger towards her, gritting her teeth as she pointed. 

"You think my husband built this family to where it is?" She asked, spreading her arms out wide as she looked around. "I built this!" She exclaimed, "Me! Piece by piece, and I'll be damned if I'll let you insult my efforts!"

Béatrice then walked away from the table as she pointed outside. "Do you know what this place looked like before Napoleon married me?" She asked, turning to look at Charlotte, who quietly sat and watched her. 

"It was a mess, this family was in Shambles, with its best pathfinders going out to find glory and fame, while Napoleon was left holding the debt that his whore of a father left him." 

Béatrice then shook her head as she stopped at the window that looked out to the vast courtyard. "Majority of the Nova family to this day reside in the capital, profiting off their foreign lands and investments that I worked for!"

Béatrice then raised a hand to her forehead, removing the strands of loose hair that found its way there, tucking it behind her ear. "A wounded beast…" she grumbled under her breath, "do you know what I did before marrying Napoleon?" She asked, turning back to look at Charlotte.

Charlotte shook her head. "I'm afraid not,"  she answered. "All I know is that you married Napoleon right after graduating from your academy."

Béatrice approached Charlotte with a finger to her head. "I was training to become a royal blade." She hissed, "I had the courses, the training, along with body and mind, I was bound to become one of the very spies you deploy so freely!" 

As béatrice reached Charlotte, she grew closer to her face, to the point where their noses were mere inches apart. "But I gave that up when I realized how much of an idiot Napoleon was." She whispered her breath a mixture of tea and mint. "I know I could do more for my kingdom by helping him, than being a sole assassin."

Béatrice's intense gaze held Charlotte's as she continued. "So know this your majesty, " she said, her tone a threatening whisper. "If you intend on putting this wounded beast down, know it's not going out without a violent exit."

Charlotte, maintaining her composure underneath Béatrice's cold and threatening demeanor, simply smiled. "Your words mean nothing to me béatrice, I am a woman of action." She replied calmly, her gaze never faltering. "You want my respect, then earn it."

Charlotte then pointed towards the window, its view of the outside courtyard. "That boy you've adopted, Alexander." She said, "Turn him into what you could've been, only then will I see you as the asset you claim to be." 

Béatrice's eyes narrowed as her lips pressed together firmly. The tension in the room hung heavy as she straightened herself up, backing away from Charlotte.

Béatrice stood quietly for a moment, gathering her thoughts as she crossed her arms. 

After a long silence, béatrice finally answered. "You're playing a dangerous game," she answered with a sigh, her voice low and controlled. "But if that's what it takes to shut you up, then I'll give you your royal blade."

Charlotte grinned. "I expect nothing less."