"War and revolution are coming. We need to prepare." Said the King solemnly.
"My lord, from where? I have seen and heard no such thing from my eyes and ears, and as you know, they are everywhere. The Bloods and tree-huggers have been quiet, and our own resistance is annoying, yes, but only in the way a mosquito is annoying" A marquess interrupted.
He was a greasy, short, fat man. He was decked in all black robes. Tattoos resembling an arcane sigil crawled up his neck. The only splash of color on him were the different jewels on the accessories that decked him out.
He looked like a dark merchant you went to if you wanted to sell your soul. But Rick had to admit, the man did have a sort of appeal. He had style at the very least.
"Lord Jose. If you are ignorant, I advise you to not embarrass yourself." Instead of the King, it was the Baron who answered. The Marquis' eyes widened. He looked like he could not fathom the audacity of the man.
He was a shadow, a purveyor of information. Rarely, if ever, had he been called ignorant. His eyes gleamed as he went for a low blow.
"Ah my dear Baron. I see that you have not been accustomed to reality yet. You are a Baron, hence you cannot speak without being addressed or given permission in the National Assembly. I understand if the disconnect makes you not understand such basic law." Answered Jose, with a sneer painted on his face.
This fallen noble dared to stand up to him? Just because he was a royal relative? Who among them wasn't!? He would put this Baron in his place. After all, he had already tasted some of the profits of bringing down one perched so high.
"Oh? Is this a National Assembly? Not an Emergency Court Session? Why wasn't I aware? Was I summoned under false pretenses? Because indeed, as a Baron in the assembly, I should be quiet, but here, in court, I hold the power of a Seat. A Ducal Seat, by virtue of strength and blood."
The Baron answered him coolly. Visually, these two were diametrically opposed. One short and fat, the other tall and thin. One dressed in gold with little jewellery, one dressed in black and drowning in opulence.
The marquis hated having to look up at the Baron.
"Semantics! Respect the way of things, thug!" Jose barked. He had to rid himself of the discomfort some way. Even if he had to resort to cheap insults.
"If you want me quiet in court, make me." Baron said, his eyes glowing gold as his face turned solemn. A pressure started to mount in the room.
A gold aura reared up and flowed from behind him like a cloud about to spread.
Jose wasn't one to back down easily. He looked straight into his eyes. The shadows around him began to smoke and make their own cloud as well. The tattoos on his neck glowed and started to flake off some dark soot.
The pressure continued to mount. Rick and the other Albrecht children had been exposed to something like this enough times that they managed to keep composed even in this situation.
They kept the grace of nobility. Rick's eyes lit up. It turns out his father may not be just a sadist after all.
Those around them, however, were not as fortunate. Some of the weaker nobles and their children were pale and on the verge of passing out. Oxygen was suddenly some real valuable real estate.
"Have you both had enough?" The King asked.
Jose shivered a bit imperceptibly and looked away. Jose could hold his own for a while he was sure, but ultimately, had no intention of suicide.
He let his aura deflate like a punctured balloon.
"No, your Majesty. But I don't think he is man enough for what comes next, so please enlighten the scared little mouse." The Baron answered.
The gold faded as well.
The king sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. The crown slipped down a bit and he pushed it up and looked up.
"I sure would like it if, in this most crucial time, My Grand Marshal and the Head of my Intelligence service would get along. For once." The King said, the exasperation and tiredness practically bleeding into the sound of his voice.
"Yes my King" Jose answered. He bowed and stepped back to sit into his own seat.
"I make no promises" The Baron countered, immediately drawing ugly looks, especially from Jose. But ultimately, he too backtracked and took his place, his face a picture of eager anticipation like a dog that had been promised a treat for a trick.
Rick's jaw clenched. He had expected there to be backlash for his reckless old man's behaviour, but the king just sighed and let it pass, almost like something that had happened countless times before.
Rick was a little surprised. This uncle of his did not seem like he was particularly against his pops, so why had things devolved to the state they had?
That was a curious little mystery he filed in his head for later. For now, there was the mystery of the entire summons he had to deal with.
"I'll have time for your insolence later. Most of you don't know this, but something that will change everything is coming to our world." The king was serious. His face was stern in a way the court had not seen before.
King Joffrey the Kind. That was what he was called by the court. He was the son of Robert the Wise, the Beloved. The previous Monarch had been called Wise in Life and the Beloved Posthumously.
The court had never seen an edge so sharp from King Joffrey.
The court tensed.
"The 5 major nobles and I have been notified by the power of our Seats. In a week at most, the Seam, our wellspring of power, shall open to us once more."
The court was silent for a beat. Then another, and then erupted in pandemonium.