March 2, 1903

The Royal family of Lessaenes stood in front of their long train of wagons, watching as hundreds of slaves constructed their new fortress. 

"Don't you think this is an...odd location for a fort, Father?" Prince Sakarus asked tentatively, afraid to offend the great King. 

"It is a fine location," Airel pronounced. "The winters in this valley are never as brutal as they are higher up, and the whole place is rather picturesque. Are you unsatisfied with it?" 

"Not at all," Sakarus shook his head. "Although, I feel that, perhaps, building our residence on top of that hill up there would be more strategically wise." He pointed at the smallest and closest of the mountains that rose in the distance. "We'd be able to see everything for miles around, and the spot itself is easily defensible."

"No!" Airel's face turned pale as he turned to face his son. "That will certainly never happen, and you shall never speak of that hill again! Is that understood?"

"Yes, Father...but why?" Sakarus pressed on, his curiosity outweighing his fear. "We are royalty. Can't we go anywhere we'd like?"

"Not there, Sakarus," Airel shook his head sadly. "Here, we are royalty, but there...we are scum." 

"You told me that all of Lessaenes was yours," Sakarus protested. "You told me that there was no place you couldn't go, no mountain you couldn't climb. You said you were invincible, and I believed you! Now, you're telling me that you would bow down to a mere hill?" 

"It is not just a hill," Airel sighed. "It is a township, called Glaisse-Altair. It is our home; we lived there when you were a baby, before I was King. There is a Magistrate who rules over the township. A Magistrate who'd have my head if I ever returned to his domain." 

"Any petty ruler who dares malign the ruling family of Lessaenes shall perish!" Sakarus exclaimed, drawing his sword with an exaggerated flourish from its sheath at the waistband of his thick pants. "What are we waiting for? Let us assemble our armies and watch that township burn!"

"That's the spirit!" Airel grinned. "You possess courage that even I do not. Go forth, and be the brave prince you were born to be!"

"You shall do no such thing!" Queen Thalayna hissed, giving her son a disapproving look. 

"What is it, mother? I'm just a month short of being a man, and have been in countless battles before! No harm will come to me." 

"Sakarus, the Magistrate of Glaisse-Altair is your grandfather!" She yelled, giving her husband and son savage looks. 

"My...grandfather?" Sakarus turned to his father in confusion. 

"Yes, he is your mother's father. His inability to accept the fact that his daughter would marry his enemy has caused his hatred of me to grow even stronger. I'm afraid entering his township could spark a war." 

"He is a boy, Airel," Thalayna frowned in disapproval. "Tell him something is dangerous and he'll run off to do it. See?" She pointed to Sakarus, who had run out of the tent and was saddling his horse. 

"Well?" She questioned, as the King remained silent. 

"Chief Vali-" 

"Yes, My King?" Alisha Valior, newly declared Chief of the Scientist Clan, rushed to his side before he was even finished calling her. 

"My son is trying to attack Glaisse-Altair," he chuckled, pointing at Sakarus as he rode around the Imperial camp, gathering a small band of Aura warriors. 

"Wonderful," Alisha grinned. "It is the final piece of our great puzzle. The township shall be our seat of power, and finally, all of Lessaenes will truly be ours." 

"You think our fort should be on the hill as well?" Airel raised an eyebrow. 

"Well, of course, it's an optimal location. I even think the township should be our capital. But, we cannot call it Glaisse-Altair. That name is far too cumbersome."

"How about we shorten it to just Glaisse?" Airel suggested. 

"Perfect," Alisha nodded. 

"You speak as if the township has already been conquered," Thalayna spat. "My father is a noble ruler, and will not fall so easily." 

"Oh, dear Thalayna," Alisha let out a cruel laugh. "The time has come for you to choose. Will you be the Magistrate's daughter...or the Queen of Lessaenes?"