When word of the Duke of Hariford's death reached the ears of the Réaltimarine High King, a meeting was called in which the heads of the Réaltimarine military and the Lord High Steward. That was Lord Elias.

The gathered Réaltimarines waited for the High King of Réaltimar to make his statement. There was tension in the room; the Duke of Hariford had been a leading commander in the Réaltimarine Army. His death would strain the political factions within the army and had the potential to start up infighting as younger nobles would be vying fiercely for his position. Elias watched as the gathered nobles chatted amongst themselves, talking about the great victory over the Grenesarri. And the death of Duke Sigurd of Hariford.

The chamber fell silent as the High King raised his hand and waited. He was a young man with golden hair and fair lavender eyes. Finally, the king spoke, "The untimely death of Duke Sigurd Harringotn of Hariford comes as a shock to us all. It has been a little over a year since we set sail from Evrúopa seeking to reclaim these islands lost to us a millenia ago. Sigurd is the first notable casualty since we set foot on these blasted tropical shores. He died well, attempting to take the Hibiscus Keep."

No one mentioned how the Duke of Hariford had died nowhere near the Hibiscus Keep.

"With his death comes the loss of the Starclaw, the Hariford Faeblade."

There were many shocked gasps and wide-eyes in the conference chamber. Faeblades were the prized possession of earldoms, duchies, and kingdoms. House Hariford now only possessed one Faeblade, in the possession of Sigurd's oldest son.

"Besides that, we lost only a few hundred men in the Battle of Grenaserrat City. We inflicted thousands of casualties on the infidels and have begun the purifying process.

"With the conquest of Grenaserrat, we now have a launching pad to begin the invasion of Barbaruda. Admiral Lord Caelius, what do you have to say on the matter?"

Elias stared at Caelius with contempt. The men was a trumped up duke from Élira, a kingdom joined to Réaltimar through marriage. Élira was a large island kingdom in Evrúopa and it was through their political union with Réaltimar that the two kingdoms had been able to subjugate Lyeona. With the western coast of Evrúopa secured it seemed as if Réaltimar would finally experience peace.

Then the late king died.

The new High King, King Peter II, set off to the Caraíbes Isles with dreams of conquest and glory. Whenever he had been presenting his ideas to the

Elias almost snorted at the thought. He missed home and couldn't wait until the infidels buckled under Evrúopean might.

"Barbaruda will be the greatest threat in the region. Sersalvon is still fractured like a dropped glass vase. With the imminent defeat of the Barbarudi, the Caraíbes will essentially be ours," Lord Caelius analyzed. His snotty voice ground on Elias's skin.

"And what if Sersalvon unites?" Elias challenged before he knew it.

Everyone in the room turned and stared at him.

"What?" the High King asked.

"It is possible that the Sersalvonians recognize the threat we pose to them and they could unite. It has happened before in Evrúopa."

That was a mistake.

Caelius gave out a harsh bark of laughter. "These tropical men are but savages, my dear Steward! You speak of our home; a place of culture and civilization. This is the Caraíbes!"

The nobles in the room laughed along with the Élirian. Elias felt his lip curl in a snarl. "You mock me."

The nobles quieted at his words. Lord Caelius's hand slowly drifted to his side sword. "Indeed I did."

Elias itched to draw his own blade, however, it was improper for two men of their rank to duel in this situation. If Elias wished, he could challenge Caelius to a formal duel that wouldn't involve killing. However, they were top men of the High King and couldn't risk getting injured.

Peter waved a hand as if to dissolve the tension. "Come on men, we have an invasion to prepare." He gave out a few more orders and then called the meeting to a close.

Elias lingered in the chamber a little longer. There was a map of Evrúopa on one of the walls. Elias stared at the map. He stared at his home.

Oh, how he missed home.