Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 165: The arrival

EDWARD MEROVICH

1015 FALLMONTH

He looked outside the window of his room. He could hear the sound from the outside and he sighed.

Edward and his entourage have reached Acro but the young lord does not return yet to the city.

So under the advice of his loyal lords, he disguise himself as a son of a noble lord and live indefinitely in the Sleeping Dragon an inn in the city.

Because of his misshapen face, he even wears hood to hide himself. When asked why using hood in the gates, he shows his face and the guards just nodded.

His entourage chose the Sleeping Dragon because it is one of the many inns in this prosperous city that is highly recommended by the people.

It seems there is even a ranking of inns in the taverns made by travelers and merchants that come to the city.

The atmosphere all indicates that this city is a very civilized city and influential. Even he was impressed and he used to live in the splendor of the royal city

The Acro citizens deserves their fames of the Jewel of the Human Continent, with the scholars all around the city espousing new theories of knowledge and merchants at the ports trading their goods from all over the world while the Peacekeeper patrol the ever growing city making sure it is safe for the people and travelers

This city or region of Arrandy is also unique in that it gives citizenship to even other races that is foreign.

Its approach is so different from other Kingdoms that only embrace the culture that has already existed during the Secession of the Kingdom during the reign of Emperor Alexander the Divider.

For this past month looking at the city and its inhabitants no wonder people call it the Jewel of the Continent.

The city and the region itself is prosperous, ships from all over the world come all the time to trade and sell their goods and wares as foreign language can be heard in the port.

People bustling around in the marketplace, buying things, improving the economy of the region, merchants smelled of spice all fill the city promoting their goods.

But that was not the only thing Edward had seen. In his spare times he would come to the castle vicinity

He even had the chance to see up close the castle when he was invited by a merchant to go to one of the famous Vermont balls.

He did not show himself at that time but he does look around the castle.

The castle that the Vermont uses for the balls for other people is not the Roaring Dragon castle but even the castle he has seen could showcase the Vermont financial power.

The guards in the castle are all trained and from what he can see even though Arrandy is under the Crown of Aetherland it seems the King give the House of Vermont's quite the autonomous reign over their land.

Home to philosophers, merchants, and spice prince from Ariundus. It is a land of excess and wealth.

And the peasants possess freedom unprecedented compared to the other Kingdoms and it is a region that suffers no interference from the King.

It almost seems like the Duchy of Arrandy is a separate kingdom with the Vermont as the ruling dynasty of its area.

It seems appropriate after all. The dragon banners won King Adrian the crown. By now everyone has heard the achievement of Arial the Dragon

The young lord is returning after killing Alderam in the North and many of its inhabitants are already preparing a festival while the castle is busy preparing a feast.

The Duke of Arrandy Aries Vermont have prepared all kind of festivity for his son return.

It seems Lord Aries loved his son very much which is rare among noble families. Lord Arial Vermont is not only loved by his family he is also by the common folk.

Somehow, it makes him feeling a little envious.

Lord Aries Vermont is also blessed with a daughter who is by now is one-year-old.

From what he had heard Lord Aries spare no expense in decorating the castle and he has already begun sending invitations to other lords to come.

Even before seeing the young he is already amazed by him and the story of his accomplishment. From the story he is painted as a warrior of tremendous caliber and a genius in the battlefield.

Some merchants even gossip that it was the young lord that transforms one of the abandon counties into one of the wealthiest Dukedom in the Kingdom with traders and merchants and scholars from the whole world to come.

The Dukedom of Arrandy is a hub of trade and knowledge. Edward sighed as he got up from his bed.

He cleaned himself up and then return to his room. He then sits on the chair and look at the book he had not managed to finish yesterday, sprawled open on top of the table.

Ethel will return a couple of moments from now, like he always does. In here Ethel addresses him as Edward fearing that their disguise will be revealed.

If it's revealed, his life and the life of his people that trusted him will be jeopardized. He reads the book for a few hours when he heard someone opening the door. Ethel has returned and he immediately come to his room.

Edward frowned. Looking at Ethel face, it doesn't seem like the news is good. He asks

'What did you hear?' he asks before Ethel could have the time to sit. He fans his face with a rough hide of his hat.

He is tasked in finding information and hear any gossip or worthy information about what happens in Vangua.

'Bad news' Ethel begins while he sits himself in the chair.

'How bad?' Edward ask. Ethel clicked his tongue and sighed. Then he reply

'The Orleans has begun to move.' Hearing that Edward could not help but release a sigh. Vangua. His homeland

And his throne

Now coveted by the very same family that might have killed his father.  Edward have tolerated them with no choice when they came back after their exile and now he is paying the price.

He sighed again when he thinks of his kingdom.

A miasma of warfare, conquest and blood and carnage will surely follow if he delayed returning home.

Even now the Orleans is plotting to take the throne from him. This is not just speculation. This is something he had long knows

Surely even as he sits here worrying about his life, plots and alliances is being forged right now.

'What are they plotting?' He asks Ethel. Ethel shake his head and said

'Nothing conclusive but I have heard that they are planning to form a council of some sorts. I don't know if the information could be trusted because I got if from some shady information broker.'

Edward then ask

'For what?' Ethel shakes his head.

'I do not know.'

'Hmm' And there was silence in the room

He could not return to Vangua without an army and put himself at risk. Put the people that believe in him at risk.

And Edward cannot be unmindful of his father fate.

'Hmm. Maybe I could call back my bastard brothers in Ranoa, exiled by my father asking for his support' He thought to himself.

Quickly he shakes his head. He is too impulsive. Too hard and brutal.

That is why his father exile him in the first place. And there is no guarantee that his bastard brother will help him. He would sooner kill him than help him probably.

The problem with bastard brother is that. You never know where his loyalty stands. But the Orleans?

Edward could not forgive the family who plotted to kill his father but as weak am he is right now; he needs to be patient. There are many reasons he wanted to be King.

The simple reason was that Kingship is a prize worth having.

The king had considerable reserve and residual powers: no one else could tax directly or issue coinage; a monarch could break the low lords and minor lords, declare him outlaw, and so come into possession of all his lands and property; and had sole command of national armies and fleets.

Great nobles, with estates in several region and small freeholders, all held their lands provisionally from the king and in return owed him some service, rent or remuneration.

What is more worthy and more powerful incentive to become king with all of this power?

And to do that he need armies. And the dragons have it.

The Vermont's have a strong, disciplined army, a professional force, probably the greatest institution that the dragons advanced the most with their great wealth.

It is ironic that while the city they rule and administer is at the height of civility and gathered many of the greatest minds in the continent, it is the military of the Vermont's that probably benefited the most from the wealth of the dragon.

As Caelum himself and from what he heard, the young lord is a man that is fill for patriotic love for his kingdom and it is obvious to anyone paying attention in this past couple of years, that the young lord has been strengthening the Kingdom, and defending and fortifying key positions in the border, both at the border in Vangua and at the Blessed Lands.

Especially his border.

'Hmm' Edward ponder a bit. Ethel then ask

'So what should I do next, my Lord?' Ethel said looking at him waiting for his order. Edward nodded and then he only said

'We have no choice but to wait. Wait for the dragon to come home.'

'And pray that he would help us' he thought to himself.

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This will be the last mass chapter. It shoudl be more massive and a lot more but because I already did a mass release in the beginning of the month, I hope you all woudl forgive me.

Anyway, I would probably see youa  bit earlier next month. Maybe on the third or fouth of Feb I willl start posting.

It si the beginning of the arc and in it I will either confirm either there is a cure or not to Arial disease. Hope you like the story and leave some comments and votes for the story

Anyway there is an announcement below

I have decided on my new schedule of writing. After looking at the readers and the statistic of my three stories this is my new schedule of writing.

As usual, for Age of Heroes it would be 40 thousand words or more every month. For Lord Shadow it would also be like usual forty thousand words per month.

For Age of Adventure, I reduced the word to thirty thousand words per month which will also result in decrease of chapter.

For now this is the new schedule. I hope you all don't get mad a t me. I am already tired writing nonstop for all three stories. This is the only way I can think of to reduce my tiredness and still write for all three stories at the same time.