Many moons ago…
In the heart of ancient Calendria, the realm's grandeur was captured by a palace so divine that it seemed to touch the heavens. Emperor Lucian Alerius Septimus sat upon his intricately carved throne, adorned with gold and shimmering jewels, reflecting the weight of his limitless authority. The grand hall brimmed with finery—murals depicting ancestral glories, tapestries of mythical creatures, and fine marble columns upholding the monumental space.
Yet, amid this splendor, the Emperor's face wore an expression of uneasy contemplation. The specter of an alliance loomed over him—a marriage, possibly, to King Cadell of the Nordari Barbarians. Gossip had swirled like a gust of wind through the corridors that King Cadell had a penchant for male companions. Lucian considered this: it could be an opportunity to bind the Nordari to his rule while safeguarding his lands from encroaching empires.
A servant parted the velvet curtains, and Prince Julian Alerius Tiberius—his third son, a youth of striking beauty and unmistakable intelligence—walked into the hall. Julian had the look of someone constantly lost in thought, his eyes often lingering on books and parchment. It made Lucian proud yet wistful. His son was made for greater pursuits, but the empire had its demands.
"Ah, Julian, come forth. There is a matter of significant importance to discuss," Emperor Lucian's voice filled the hall, commanding yet imbued with a touch of warmth.
Julian approached, his amethyst eyes meeting his father's. "You seem deep in thought, Father. Is it something that concerns the realm or just an intriguing passage in a book you've been reading?"
Lucian chuckled. "Ever the scholar. No, this is gravely serious. How would you like to make a journey, my son?"
"A journey?" Julian's eyes brightened, curiosity setting his heart aflutter. "To where?"
"To the lands of the Nordari Barbarians. King Cadell has expressed an interest in an alliance. The murmurs suggest he may be amenable to a more, shall we say, unconventional union. A marriage between you and him could bring stability to our western borders."
Julian pondered the weight of his father's words. It was an intriguing proposal. He was a prince bound by duty, yes, but also a young man with desires that veered off the beaten path. The prospect of fulfilling both was suddenly dangled before him like an irresistible lure.
"So, what do you say? Will you ride to destiny or shy away from it?"
Julian felt the gravity of the moment; the undercurrents of politics, the looming promise of love, or perhaps the shadow of heartbreak. But the allure of the unknown gripped him. He was his father's son, after all, molded by both courage and ambition.
"I will go, Father. If this alliance holds the promise of strengthening Calendria, then I will ride to the Nordari lands and meet King Cadell."
Emperor Lucian looked upon Julian, his eyes reflecting a complex tapestry of pride, hope, and a wistful sorrow that whispered of innocence forever lost. But it was an Emperor's duty to look ahead, and in that crystalline moment, he saw the threads of destiny weaving around his son, drawing the empire ever closer to the promise of a future yet unknown.