"So this is the famous Nephew?" Chancellor Phillip asked Camilla, his tone respectful, but the look in his eyes towards Dom was still dangerous.
"Oh leave him alone Phillip." Camilla teased as she looked towards Dom with some loving eyes, before casting her eyes amongst his friends.
"I would if it wasn't for my granddaughter." Chancellor Phillip stated, as Camilla laughed. However Dom, Andrew and Kai all had a sudden realisation as he continued, "I heard that you studied with my Grandchildren Elizabeth and Edward?"
"We did Sir." Dom replied politely, seeing that his Aunt was giving him a look to get him to respond.
"You may wonder why they were sent to a Military Academy and not privately educated, but it's important for Royal's to understand the people they should rule over." Chancellor Phillip explained as he took a deep breath. "I am also aware of how your Aunt works, and your importance in her eyes. She is possibly the most intelligent person that I know, but she can be predictable."
"I am sat here Phillip." She laughed as she watched as Dom and his friends seemed more uncomfortable in their seats, whilst Alice just listened to the whole conversation with her mouth open in shock.
"I know you are, but even if I said this elsewhere you would probably know." He said as he turned to her and smiled in a genuine way. "However, I also know your Aunt's connections, I assume she has provided you with some future options?"
Andrew and Kai both turned to Dom, who looked at his Aunt with his eyes open in worry as he assumed he was talking about the list of potential suitors. The fact that the Chancellor knew, and that his Granddaughter was on that list, were both worrying things. His Aunt nodded at him, they hadn't said the word yet, but all those in the room except Alice knew what they were discussing.
"I have Sir." Dom replied politely, keeping his tone measured but was surprised at the confidence he had in matching the old Prince's stare. It wasn't something he could have done a month ago, but since playing the game and meeting characters such as Rameses, Sun Quan and Leotychides, his confidence had grown and grown.
"And?" Chancellor Phillip asked him, waiting for a second to see if Dom responded before continuing. "Two weeks I believe is left Camilla?"
"That is an astute guess yes." She replied as she rolled her eyes at him.
"Like a child in a candy shop with too many options." Chancellor Phillip laughed suddenly, his tone softening a bit. "I had a similar decision when I was younger, if only I had knew your Aunt then! Regardless, I understand the importance of this, but I doubt that you do. Do not treat them like commodities."
"I won't Sir." Dom replied seriously, a realisation of the real impact his decision would have on not only his life but someone else's if they agreed, but he suspected some of their families may already be aware of the situation, even if they didn't know that Dom was the other side of it.
"I assume you three are helping him from the looks on your faces?" Camilla interrupted, looking at Andrew, Kai and Alice.
"Just the two of us, it's been challenging." Kai responded, knowing that sometimes it is better to speak than be silent.
"I can understand that, but he needs to be more decisive." Camilla responded, almost ignoring the looks on Dom and Alice's face, who both had different expressions due to their understanding or lack of understanding to the situation. "The quicker I have a shortlist the better, Kai make sure I receive it soon."
"I had intended to look out for you here." Chancellor Phillip explained to Dom, as Kai sat there realising he had just involved himself in things his mother had specifically told him not to. "The Son of one of my own Generals, a mighty woman that did more in her short life than many could dream of. Your Aunt is one of my closest friends and confidants. It's just a shame your father was the traitor that he was."
"Phillip, that is my family." Camilla countered as the Chancellor's last words were full of spite. His face changing from friendly to almost ugly as he discussed Dom's father.
"You are right and I apologise. Dominic 'Lazarus'." He said, emphasising the last name to a point that they all knew there was going to be more to this. "Our families are deeply connected, more than you could know. I will leave you alone now and let your Aunt talk to you as she had planned, I rudely joined as I wanted to finally put a face to the name that my friend and my grandchildren have mentioned, be it in very different ways they have spoken about you. Good luck at the University, and if you need anything my Office will be open to you, Lazarus."
As he said the last line, he stood up and gave Dom's Aunt a squeeze on the shoulder before walking around the table and out of the door behind them, the two guards at the door standing upright as he approached. The door was soon closed behind them and his Aunt suddenly began laughing.
"Oh he is funny isn't he!" Camilla Mordred, the terrifying Lady that she was, laughed about a Prince who was by all means one of the most important people in the Western Kingdoms. "Don't worry about him, he adored your mother, not that I am sure why. He only became Chancellor because his Grandchildren were going to study here, he is just bored and needs things to keep him occupied as he can't be leading Warriors in to Battle when there is a supposed prolonged peace."
The four of them sat in silence as she spoke, before she continued, whilst Alice grabbed Dom's leg under the table as if asking him to find an excuse for her to leave as she realised this was definitely not a conversation about their Accommodation and something much bigger.
"Did you know that he also plays World Conquest Online. Most people do now play I suppose. He's quite high in the rankings as well, not quite as high as our Dominic here obviously. Lazarus, the Third Placed Player, The Top Lord Player and now the Top Player in two of the major Battles, at the same time! He is definitely a bit jealous." She laughed to herself, before looking at the four scared youths in front of her. "So tell me, how did that happen?"
"We decided to do the Battle of Mycale as I needed to grow my fleet." Dom began, however his Aunt interrupted him.
"You four decided?" She asked, whilst Alice looked at him as he spoke as well, wanting to hear more.
"I decided with my Heroes. Andrew and Kai only arrived just before the Battle. Alice hasn't arrived yet. We took two of my ships, a Quinquereme and a Trireme. I was able to take two as Andrew registered his Guild as serving me and my small Kingdom." He explained, before she interrupted him again.
"Kingdom? What do you mean by Kingdom." She said for a second, before a big smile appeared on her face and she rubbed her hands together. "You are a Mordred and a Lazarus all in one, tell me, how many Towns and Warriors do you have now?"
Dom turned to Kai, as if asking for reassurance if he should answer, but it was just a game and it seemed that his Aunt did have his best interests at heart, or why else would she have come to Central University in advance, to clearly cause a headache for the Chancellor to protect him. Kai shrugged his shoulders whilst Andrew just looked back at Dom blankly.
"Towns, there are Fifteen, but of different sizes" Dom began, as Alice almost spat out the water she was drinking that she had just filled with a jug on the table in front of them. His Aunt also looked visibly surprised. "I am not sure on the Warriors, we are doing some recalculations after our recent victory as we received much more thanks to Andrew and Kai than expected. I think possibly eleven or twelve thousand Warriors now, with maybe eighty River ships and around thirty five Sea ships. Most of these are from acquiring them, rather than spawning them"
"Don't forget the non military ships we have." Kai added as Dom nodded his head in agreement.
"Does that include the San?" Andrew asked, the three of them seemingly tuning out of the situation for a moment.
"I don't think so, I am not sure on the San numbers, but they will probably end up as Legionaries anyway." Dom replied as Kai nodded.
"So will most of the Hoplite, we really need to sort out the training when we get back." Andrew agreed, before realising that Camilla and Alice were staring at the three of them.
"So worst case possibly Eleven Thousand Warriors and one hundred and fifteen ships, but probably more." Dom repeated, as he tried to count on his fingers, before looking back up at his Aunt as she paled slightly in the face.
"Captain Mortimer, I want more guards stationed in the Campus. Our Guards, not those Medici ones. Have a house near Dominic's emptied and stationed, I want our plans moving forwards immediately." She ordered one of the Guards, who bowed and stepped out, one of those from outside coming in to replace him. She then turned to Dom, her face relaxing again. Whilst Dom and his three friends all looked on in complete fear. "Who else knows about the size of your Kingdom?"
"Erm, just those in this room, and then the Players in Andrew's Guild. Oh, and Astrid who is a Captain that joined us after Mycale, but I am not sure who she is." Dom replied with a raised eyebrow, whilst Alice just looked at them in continued shock at the revelations.
"Can they be trusted, are they all from the Western Kingdoms?" She asked Andrew, her tone laced with a slight threat.
"They can be trusted Lady Mordred, but they are not all from the Western Kingdoms." He explained, a bit of panic in his voice at being questioned.
"They can not know any of your real identities, if possible have them fight on expeditions and keep them away from yourselves and any of your key Heroes. All it takes is for something to happen in reality and one of them betray you in the game. If any of them can have accidents, that would be for the best. Those from the Western Kingdoms, try and find out who they are and inform me." She began, as she looked to Dom with a softened look again. "I do not think you know how massive what you achieved is. I was speaking with one of the fathers of another Lord Class Player, they have two Towns. Two. I believe Elizabeth Medici may have three now as well?"
"It's four Lady Mordred." Alice replied, causing them to all look at her in surprise, mainly because she had decided to speak. Her words were slightly flustered as she spoke, "I am travelling south to Dom's Town, or it's not now a Town, but was a Town. Anyway, we docked at her Capital and she recognised me by accident and I had a nice meal there, she has four towns."
"Where was she ranked?" Camilla asked them, looking at Kai that seemed to be the most intelligent out of the four.
"She was Ranked Seventh in the Lords Rankings." Kai replied as Camilla did some maths in her head.
"Then a Top Lord at this stage would have no more than five or six, and that is if they were supported by other Lords seceding to them which is how others have grown, or have been on an aggressive run. I expect that Princess Medici may step up the rankings next time." Camilla explained, as she calmed herself back to the Aunt that Dom recognised. "Anyway, what else happened at your Battle, I heard that Lazarus had the Hero Crassus who was buying up ships?"
"We did, Andrew took some of them and some of our forces and travelled to the mainland. I took control of the Greek forces at Mycale and Kai took a substantial amount of resource with him and wanted to test the game mechanics." Dom explained, still confused by his Aunt's reaction and most of this meeting. "Andrew bought some Towns, helped win the Battle and brought back a lot of rewards. Kai did the same in his direction and I captured a large amount of ships."