The Gestonian Series Book Two – A New Beginning
Gestonian Series: Book Two - A New Beginning
Copyright © Alexander W. Meurant, 2018
Alexander Meurant asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the authors imagination. Any resemblance, actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a database and retrieval system or transmitted in any form or any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the owner of copyright.
Original illustrations by GrandFailure - IStock Images
Map by Alexander Meurant
Chapter 1
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Stifling a yawn, Niall forced his attention back to the young noble woman before him, who was currently chatting incessantly with him, or more correctly, at him. Niall had long given up trying to understand what the lady was saying, but he could not bring himself to excuse himself from her company. Glancing around him, Niall surveyed the royal ball he was attending in the homeland, desperately looking for an excuse to get away from this annoying woman. Laying his eyes upon his liege a small distance away, he could not help but admire how exquisite Princess Phidel looked in her royal attire.
Phidel was leisurely speaking to her older brother Prince Bradley whom she adored immensely. The pair simply walked the floor arm in arm without a care in the world, and as they approached Niall, he felt his chance to escape this noble woman coming ever closer.
Turning back to face his companion, Niall once again attempted to listen to her, biding his time as the two royals slowly made their way over.
Sure enough, within minutes Phidel appeared at Niall's side, Bradley in tow, and she simply smiled sweetly at Niall's companion, who getting the hint, curtsied elegantly and excused herself, rejoining her group of friends not twenty paces away.
Turning to face his liege, Niall kissed her proffered hand before turning his attention to the Prince and offering him an elegant bow.
"Lord Prince, it is an honor to finally meet you in person" Niall stated as he straightened his posture and looked the royal straight in his eyes. He had heard the Prince was one of the few royal's that valued frankness. Niall stared hard, getting a very strong impression that he had seen the prince somewhere before. He seemed very familiar. Niall frowned, the look being picked up on by the two royals.
"I assure you Sir Belford the honor is all mine. I have heard much about you from my sister, and I must say that she does not do you justice" stated the prince with a small smile as he extended a hand towards Niall, holding it out for him to shake as he dismissed Niall’s frown quite easily. Niall blinked in surprise somewhat but grasped the royal’s hand and shook it, meeting the slight pressure with his own.
"You are too kind Lord Prince" replied Niall as they parted hands. He stood awkwardly now, not quite sure what to say as he tried desperately to remember where he had met the prince. This was their first meeting he was sure of it. Niall looked into Bradley's face, catching a strange expression from the man, like he was thinking about something to say. Niall stared right back in silence, that small frown still present on his face. Quite suddenly, Prince Bradley spoke breaking the awkward silence.
"What is your opinion of this event if I may ask Sir Belford? I would like your honest opinion" the Prince asked quite suddenly and sharply, straight to the point.
Raising an eyebrow, Niall frowned further. He thought carefully about what he should say as he eyed the Prince. He even shot a look at Phidel who just smiled softly whilst sipping a glass of champagne, her eyes wandering around the hall. Niall found no guidance from her, so he decided to just tell the truth.
"Well Lord Prince, I honestly think it is a waste of both time and effort. I believe there are better things that I could be doing with my time" Niall said, that small frown still heavy on his face, not sure how the Prince would react to such an admission.
"In that, Sir Belford, I completely agree with you, even if that is the opinion of a commoner" the Prince replied, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth even as a hard glint remained in his eyes. Niall raised his eyebrows and pretended to look surprised despite feeling a twinge of anger at the man. He hated being reminded by aristocracy that he was not of noble blood. Phidel looked at her brother in alarm though and spoke, her arm still wrapped in the Prince's.
"But brother, you organized this event, surely you do not think that" Phidel exclaimed, her gaze still locked on Bradley, her eyes searching his own features even as she seemed not to register the fact that Niall had just been insulted.
"But I do sister, I would tell you why shortly, but for the moment, I would ask Sir Belford another question" Bradley stated, speaking directly to Niall, his gaze locked on the knight.
"Niall, if I may call you that?" the prince asked, a brow rising in query. After a stiff nod from Niall, the prince smirked further and continued speaking.
"Niall, in the years since you joined the military, how many of these nobles have you seen or heard of being on the battlefield, fighting for their nation" Bradley asked, as he gestured with his free hand, sweeping it in an arc before him to encompass many of the others at the ball.
Looking at the guests he could see, only a few dozen of the hundreds in attendance, Niall could not identify anyone that he had seen take to the field, nor any he had heard of, and he suddenly felt a little bit guilty. He should have paid more attention to Phidel earlier when she had told him who was attending. He looked back at the Prince, noticing a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"None Lord Prince" Niall replied quietly and shortly, his eyes still drifting over the attendees of the ball as he sought to actually recognize someone.
The Prince chuckled and placed his free hand upon Phidel's hand, and he smiled before speaking once more.
"Of the three hundred and twenty-seven guests in attendance here, only twelve people have fought for the empire in the last twenty years, only eighteen have ever fought at all. And three of us are standing right here" Bradley said before he gestured at Niall, Phidel and himself with his free hand.
"And yet, this event is held to honor the victories that you and my sister have won in the last two years. An honor few are given. Especially a commoner that has criminal family members. But alas, this is simply an excuse for these nobles to party and drink themselves insensible" Bradley stated, his eyes locked on Niall.
Niall felt like he had just been punched hard in the guts and he clenched his right fist by his side even as his left gripped hard around his glass of champagne. He was near shaking from anger and he did his best to hide it. Phidel picked up on it and cast a cross look at Bradley.
"Brother. Please refrain from mentioning Niall's family. I had Niall vetted before he was employed in my inner circle" Phidel stated, an actual rather cross and unimpressed expression on her face. She even went as far as to remove her arm from Bradley's and step around him to Niall's left side and entangle her right arm with his left. Niall clenched his jaw and felt a slight sense of satisfaction as he saw Bradley's expression change to one of irritation. It disappeared quickly as the Prince continued speaking, completely unperturbed.
"I Apologize sister. Sir Belford, I meant no affront" Bradley stated, a free arm moving in front of him as he did a slight, yet elegant bow as some sort of apology. As the man straightened up, Niall scowled, noticing the man still held a smirk upon his face. Niall recognized that smirk and quite suddenly
an ice-cold feeling ran down his spine. He stood ramrod straight and clenched his jaw. An image of his time back in Rindai flashed before his eyes. It was an image of when he had been thrown into an armored car with his unconscious brother. Bradley had been there. A much younger man at the time, but Niall recognized him all the same.
"To my earlier statement however Niall, I would continue. My father maintains the belief of the strong devouring the weak, survival of the fittest. But I wonder, how long would these nobles around you last upon a modern battlefield?" the prince asked with a perked eyebrow and locking his gaze on Niall's eyes, the prince continued further.
"Don't you think they would be the ones to be devoured Niall?" he asked, an eyebrow raised in query, even as a hint of a smirk played at the royal's lips once more.
Niall looked at the Prince, anger still in his demeanor. Niall felt a burning rage and he exhaled slowly, trying to calm himself and focus on the prince's words. He thought about what the royal had said and then asked before raising an eyebrow in of his own, wondering just what the Prince was getting at. His thoughts whirring, Niall hailed a nearby drink bearer who quickly arrived, and placing his empty glass of champagne on the tray, Niall replaced it with a full one and took a sip whilst he gathered his thoughts.
"Frankly lord Prince, I do not think they would last all of five minutes on a modern battlefield. They would only embarrass themselves before perishing miserably" Niall replied in quite a serious manner, his voice hard and hinting at the anger felt. A grim expression appeared on his face even as his eyes remained locked on the prince.
Bradley chuckled softly and placed his empty glass upon the bearer's tray before taking a fresh one and waving the young man away, who looked suitably shocked and confused by the few words he had just overheard. The prince raised his own glass to his lips and took a sip before replying.
"I couldn't have said it better myself Lord Belford. So once again, we agree on something. The main issue is that it is these very nobles that criticize the very efforts of those in the military and more often than not, decide what the military should be doing. For example, do you know why my sister invaded Pagua and Seirei?" the prince asked innocently enough before drinking deeply from his glass.
Niall frowned and turned his gaze to look at Phidel briefly and quizzically, his anger fading somewhat. He noticed her looking curiously at her brother as well and he raised a brow, wondering if she knew herself. Niall turned back to the prince and frowned slightly, his earlier anger now completely replaced by puzzlement and curiosity.
"Lord Prince, I am afraid I was not privy to such information at the time of the invasion, and I never thought to ask following my appointment as a commander" Niall replied slowly, his interest piqued. He pushed thoughts of Rindai away. Even if the prince was there, it was not like he was responsible for what had transpired after all. He should not be a focus of blame.
"Well, I shall enlighten you, and you as well sister, as I doubt you actually know yourself. It was because of gold. Hundreds of millions of dinar’s worth of gold bullion" he stated rather dryly, a hint of anger in his voice.
Niall blinked in surprise at the information, and for a moment was speechless. He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Phidel as the princess spoke out herself.
"Brother, you must be joking surely. Father wouldn't send me to Seirei just for gold. The Empire has no need of it" she stated, her voice holding a hint of accusation. Bradley just shook her head at Phidel, a grim expression blanketing his face.
"Oh dear sister. You are so brilliant, yet so naive. Father still holds council, and the Council of Nobles holds great power these days. And the council strongly suggested that the Empire make conquering Seirei a high priority. Father doesn't care where our armies go, just as long as there is value in them being there and that they stay there" Bradley stated rather bluntly. He sighed then and actually seemed to deflate a bit as he decided whether he should continue further. As both Niall and Phidel remained silent, he chose to carry on.
"Anyway, these nobles decided that they needed more money of their own, and that's why you were never notified. As far as the military is concerned, it was just a strategic invasion to open up another front in the war. But I know for a fact, that after the initial invasion, the councilor’s personal forces made a few excursions to Seirei. I watched it quite closely actually and monitored their movements" Bradley said, a deep scowl setting itself in his expression.
Phidel looked away from her brother, her eyes slightly narrowed whilst she bit her bottom lip. An expression Niall knew meant that his liege was somewhat troubled. He too was a little unsettled. He knew of the political battles amongst the various factions of the capital, but this was the first time he had actually been confronted by the reality of it. He snapped back to focus as Phidel spoke out sharply.
"Well, that doesn't matter. We are there now, and regardless of the councilors seeking to enrich themselves, it's none of our business what they do. We are soldiers. Not politicians." she said quite brusquely, her brow furrowed in a slight anger. Niall smiled a little at that declaration. It was what he expected from his liege and her straightforward spirit. Bradley though did not seem to agree as he replied to his sister.
"While that may be true sister, we are royalty. One day it will be one of us that has to deal with it, as father won't live forever" Bradley said with a rather harsh tone, before tipping his head back and downing the rest of his champagne. He made a distasteful expression as he swallowed and then seemed to get distracted as he looked past Niall, a small frown forming on his features.
"And on that note sister, Niall, it seems I have somewhere to be" Bradley stated, nodding in the direction he had been staring.
The young Knight turned and saw a woman of perhaps her mid-twenties, tall and slim, with straight black hair, elegantly dressed with a somber and dignified expression painted across her face. She looked exquisite and obviously sought the Princes attention as she stood upon a landing that led into a different part of the hall.
Pulling his eyes from the dark beauty, Niall faced Bradley who then proffered his hand to Phidels Knight, a dark smile playing across his lips.
"Until next time Lord Belford. Perhaps we could share a few drinks in a more private setting" he stated as Niall took his hand and shook it. Bradley then leant in close to Phidel, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Enjoy the rest of the night sister, take care" he stated, finishing his farewell before threading his way through the crowd, first passing off his empty glass to a drink bearer whilst ignoring those who sought his attention. It wasn’t long before the prince arrived at the side of the dark beauty and wrapped his arm in hers, leading her off into the corridor behind her.
Niall stopped watching as the duo disappeared, and turned to focus his attention on his liege. He smiled as he felt Phidel tighten her arm around his, and taking another sip of his champagne, he turned his head slightly, noticing the princess looking at him out of the corner of her eye. She could probably tell what he was thinking and she smiled, taking a sip from her own glass before speaking.
"That woman Sir Belford, is the Lady Celeste Barion, the second child of one of the great families of the homeland. She is also my brothers second in command and his wife. They have been betrothed since children and married earlier this year. It was a small affair for a royal wedding" Phidel spoke lowly, her eyes half lidded.
"I also once considered her a dear friend, but now, well things change" she murmured and let the sentence hang. Niall didn't pry though as he simply looked back to the hallway to which the duo had disappeared down and frowned.
"I see. Guess all royals have their deep dark secrets" he stated with a straight face right before he received a sharp pinch on his arm from the princess in reply. He just chuckled and downed the rest of his glass before beckoning for another drink bearer. He was probably going to regret drinking so much come the morning.
Chapter 2
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"
Get up Sain or you'll get in deep shit again if you don't" came an angry demand followed by hands poking and prodding at him. Sain just moaned into his pillow and pushed feebly at his assailant with a hand.
"For fucks sake man, if you screw up today, we all get fucked. That's it. I've had enough. Will, Aron, help me flip this lazy asshole out of bed" came that same angry voice.
Sain groaned as he felt his mattress being picked up and he finally wakened out of his half sleep, and with evident ease he slipped off of the mattress before it was raised too high and came to stand in the middle of the small room he and the others were in.
"Alright, I am up, I am up" he said, yawning and rubbing his eyes tiredly. Sain blinked and looked at the three others he shared his dorm with, all Samite men, two with the dark skin common among the natives of the Union, and a third with lighter brown skin.
"G'morning lads" he said, somewhat blearily, his eyes still half closed as he squinted into the bright light he had been trying to hide from by burying his face into his pillow. His assailant's snorted and they all let go of the mattress which thumped satisfactorily back onto the bunk bed base.
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