Palace of Alexandria

[Alexandros]

Home to Volyan and the Prime Minister, Akhaenniut. The palace is made from marble and is a massive complex. The entrance to the palace is adorned by two fox statues, carved in similar marble to the palace. The spears held in their paws are really pillars, holding up the main entrance to the palace.

The palace can be a maze but, to counter this, every path leads to the throne room on the first floor, which is shaped like an oval. The palace is lavishly made, with banners of Imperial Sobek and Volyan alike, lit by torches are attached to the side of marble pillars. It shows the wealth of Imperial Sobek, though Volyan would have been content with a mere tent. The tribal theme that was once common throughout the land has all but vanished, save for Volyan's room in the fourth floor of the four story palace.

[Kiju]

“The prince wants to see a scruffy old coyote like me huh?” were the words on Kiju’s lips as he got a letter containing the royal seal, plus a whole bunch of thinly veiled criticism for the prince’s choice in choosing a mercenary for some job or other. He looks through the lengthy note, grumbling quietly with the thought that this could’ve been all summed up in a few words ‘The prince would like to speak with you’, not all this gibberish that it contained. Guess it’s a good thing the fox he served under taught this ‘yote how to read and write, else he’d be completely lost…and that would leave a loss of face that hurt quite a bit. He shakes his head and sighs, then puts the note back into its envelop, closing it again and placing it in a little pocket on the inside of his leather vest. “Well, don’t want to keep him waiting I s’pose.”

There wasn’t much for the coyote to pack away, a few belongings that he carried in a little pack that was hiked up on his back, his swords and the belt they were strapped to. Not much more besides the clothes on his back, and a few trinkets he’d bought along the way to make himself at least appear worth something (other than his swords that is). He went on his way from the little inn he’d been staying in, waiting for some job or other to come along and hire him so he could get his pay. Sure, it was a lean season right now, but one could still be hopeful, so that you didn’t have to spend all of your money on room and board at the Inn. Oh well, guess this’ll have to do…working for the prince will at least deal out a huge payroll, maybe even a few treasures that Kiju could sell in the black market or something. Everywhere he looked in the city, it was prosperous and happy, even if he’d seen grander, and sometimes very pitiful towns…like the one he was born in. It was so small and insignificant that it hadn’t even been named, nor put on any map besides a little dot that noted there was a little dot that noted there was an Inn, and that’s it.

As he reached the palace, he looked up at the massive building…and scoffed a bit, a little disgusted that anyone could live in such a big manor, prince or not. He showed the Imperial Seal on the letter he’d gotten, and after a little convincing, he was allowed admittance into the palace. As he passed, he had to at least give a little bit of approval…security was pretty tight, and not just appearing tight, when in reality it’s just laziness. Walking along the halls, he was tempted to ‘confiscate’ some of the various riches and artifacts decorating the long corridor that wove its way through the innards of the large building, but the constant presence of guards and servants prevented his paws from straying too close to a gold statue, or some little trinket or other. Oh well, perhaps tonight.

He stopped in a chamber where he was supposed to wait for the prince to arrive, and it just so happened that the coyote was sentenced to arriving in the throne room to greet ‘his majesty’ in all his splendor and formality…something Kiju was never good at. He took a deep breath, and opened the massive doors that lead into the large antechamber that contained the throne…and hopefully the prince in it. Oh well, here goes nothing.

[Alexandros]

Volyan had paced back and forth as Akhaenniut ranted on about hiring a Mercenary. “It won’t be good for the Empire” or “You know how this’ll make me, you, look?”. Still, Volyan didn’t care about the whims of the Prime Minister, who had for years controlled him like a puppet, and waving his paw he dismissed Akhaenniut who, Demi-God or not, had to obey his Emperor while in front of the Imperial servants. But, Volyan knew he’d be reprimanded for it in private…perhaps flogged like he was last time by supporters loyal to Akhaenniut, though few and far in between now-a-days.

News of a fox in the far northern reaches, near Zuma, had reached the Empire and Akhaenniut seemed oddly nervous. Volyan took a wild guess, allowing Alexander’s name to slip during a conversation and Akhaenniut had done like he always did whenever Volyan was close to the truth of his father’s location, screamed how he was dead. News that Raphael Augustus had traveled to Babylon and that the fox was heading there as well further brightened Volyan, knowing the two had fought beside one another some twenty years ago. Perhaps with outside support, as well as support from the peoples of Sobekia, Alexander would be Emperor once more and Volyan…Volyan could be prince, like he had wanted.

A messenger, who had taken an Alexandrian horse from the outpost nearest to Alexandria's main road arrived to report the arrival of one Kiju Lupin, the very mercenary Volyan had sent for. Now, mercenaries were never one for loyalty but…perhaps coin and room could turn his loyality to him. And, two hours later, the mercenary, a Coyote, walked through the double doors of the palace, and Volyan, formerly laying across his throne – footpaws over one side and head braced against the other, jumped to his feet and turned towards the young Coyote…who looked older than he really was.

Volyan, aloof as he was before, padded down his clothing to remove the wrinkles that had formed in them, before bowing his head lightly, “Master Kiju Lupin, I presume? I am Emperor Volyan of Sobekia. I take it by you being here that you had gotten my notice?” Volyan waved a paw at the guards outside the throne room door, who closed it with a clang of steel. Volyan, sighing, shook his head, “Sorry for the formality, Imperial custom. Now that we have privacy,” He waved a paw around them, indicating the lack of others in the throne room, “Please, allow me to welcome you as another of our race, rather than an Emperor.”

[Kiju]

As Kiju entered the throne room, he had to nearly jump aside as a very regal and pompous looking buzzard stalked out of the room with a look that could melt steel, or freeze it in place. Either one worked, for the look was one of an angry bird, and the coyote had to bite his tongue lightly with his sharp canines to keep from choking up with laughter. Seeing such a high ranking person in a high state of anger was always amusing to the mercenary, why he didn’t know…just that it was nice to know that not even the nobles could always get their way outside of war. He saw the Prince-turned-Emperor lounging in the chair, and actually let a grin turn the corners of his black lips upwards at a royalty figure in a pose that he himself would probably be in if given such a throne.

Not entirely knowing what all should be done in such a formal situation, Kiju just chose instead to stop half-way down the aisle and wait. If this young Emperor wanted him, he’d have to at least earn a bit of respect from the coyote, and so far he was getting it since it appears that the fox was the cause of the buzzard’s burr in its side. At the slight bow from the fox, Kiju instead just thumped a fisted paw to his chest in classic military salute, and bowed a bit lower in return…then stood paws-akimbo over his chest, and rested all weight on his left footpaw, now in a relaxed and ‘business dealing’ pose one could say.

An ear twitches at the mention of the coyote’s name, and he nods his head briefly “Aye, I am sire.” The ear that twitched, swiveled in place to face behind him, and towards the two doors that shut with a loud noise. After the sound had died down, the ear swiveled back to face the Emperor, all this was done before speaking again. “I got your note a little while ago, and while I couldn’t say I came runnin’, I didn’t wait around neither.” His speech is a bit richer than he himself appears, since he was brought up by a noble…his Master had been strict in getting rid of any, and all of his ‘street urchin accent’, as he had called it. “Formality wasn’t always one of my strong points…richest one I’ve ever been to was for the Merchants Guild, luckily it was only a one time thing and got me some discounts.” That’d been one heck of a job, I was tasked with keeping an entire train of carts and carriages safe from marauding bandits and the like, as it traveled from Aros to Alexandria…which is why he was even in Alexandria in the first place.

“So, you called me in here with the Imperial seal even, and I was supposed to get the honor of working under your service.” His left ear twitches, and he then shifts his weight over to his right footpaw, since the left one was becoming grumbly “I hope you don’t think I’m enlisting in your army as some captain or other, I’ve done my share of deals with the military.” Oh yes, many times he’d been enlisted in the military for his prowess in battle…and every time he’d been used as nothing more than a shock troop. “And I’d prefer not to do any more.” Sure, he wasn’t showing any respect at all for the most powerful fox in all of this kingdom…but this coyote wasn’t one to bow and scrape and curb his tongue unless he knew he had to…and since the Emperor wanted him, then he had a little bit of freedom to say his opinion.

[Alexandros]

“Honour is a thing of a different age, Kiju. No, honour, to many is just a figment of ones imagination. The closest thing to honour now-a-days is ones loyalty. Of course, even that as of late has been so easy to take. A small camp to the North East of here was recently bought off by the rebel villages of the area, the captain at the head taking the money offered and joining the ranks of the rebels. I…am sorry about the village you come from, Kiju.”

Volyan knew the village Kiju had originated from if only because he had learned of Kiju’s existence from a captured rebel. He had mentioned a coyote named Kiju who came from the village that was little more than a heap of rubble now. “Your…Master had been a member of the Empire, but had been working with the rebels to ship goods to them, to supply their campaign. It was a noble thing to do, but…I had to order his death.” Volyan shook his head, “I didn’t, though. But Akhaenniut ordered it anyway, sending assassins to take his head.”

Volyan shuffled, knowing he was risking everything here by admitting that not only did the Imperial armies order the assassination, be they the ones who did it or not was unknown, as they never returned. Sobekia figured that they were killed, or ran off with their payment. “Akhaenniut is…someone that can’t be left in power. I didn’t call you here to serve the Empire as that is but a front. Walrik, Akbar, and several others within the Empire have banned together to form an…underground resistance of sorts, aimed at removing Akhaenniut. So long as he is in power, there won’t be a moment of peace in the land. He has broken our treaties with each and every Kingdom and has burnt entire populations into little more than dust…He has tried to assassinate me several times and…” Volyan paused, wincing as his back throbbed at the thought of the flogging he had received earlier that week.

Volyan moved a long strand of sandy-coloured fur from his eyes, as he began to pace back and forth. “I don’t expect loyalty to the Empire, at the moment it is nearing the state of civil war…split between the Loyalists and the New Imperial Order. Alexandros, my father, has been passing messages between me and other Loyalists, and…” Volyan finally smiled, something that hadn’t graced his muzzle in nearly four years, “He’ll return to power…Finally my father’ll be where he deserves to be.” Volyan shook his head, before glancing over at the Coyote once more, “So, to be honest…your need here is going to be long term. And my father’ll undoubtedly try and hire you for the Empire…not as a commander, but probably as a bodyguard, or some other official position.”

Volyan shuffled, ears pricked to face towards the door, as if fearing Akhaenniut would return at any moment. “The pay will be changing weekly, but I promise you it is enough to cover anything you may need. As well, you will have free room and board here in the palace – next to my room, in fact…I feel that a tribal feel would place you back at home, more than the Alexandrian style that the majority of Alexandria has taken on.” Volyan glanced down, “Not to mention I could use the protection, it wouldn’t be the first time Akhaenniut had tried to assassinate me.”

[Kiju]

“Honor has been dead since the moment it started to appear.” He said flatly, knowing that it was true…at least in his eyes. Honor was a moral, and quite a nice way of living by, but so very few actually wanted to uphold the code of honor, since it would put them at disadvantages and restrictions that few wanted to make. So, the code of honor became more of a fanciful thought, brought to brilliant life in epic tales and poems of heroes and evil-doers. “And loyalty is only as deep as ones pockets. The world now a days revolves around money, and if you have none, then you have nothing at all besides your life…and even that might change sooner or later.” It was true though, the world ran on money, everyone knew that. Those who didn’t were either idiotic, or too young and blissfully unaware of what it took to bring the bread home. Kiju learned this at a very young age…

“I know what my Master did, and even helped him in a few raids and guardian trips. Live opponents were much better than fake ones, or that’s what he always told me.” Luckily though, there’d always been the fox to step in, just in case an opponent proved too skillful, and his Master was good enough that he could lecture the young coyote in how to dispatch such a foe while he himself was doing it. It still stung that such a brilliant fighter could be killed in just one night, while he slept…but all is fair in war, right?

The only reaction given to the announcing as to who was responsible of his Master’s death was the quirk of an eyebrow. ‘So that buzzard was the one who did it hmm? Well, guess while I’m here, I might be able to settle that score.’ A year had been given to the Coyote to recover from the grief of his lost Master, and it’d been just barely enough to keep what used to be a burning hatred, into nothing more than a dull smolder. “I see, so this bird is the one behind it.” Who knows what would’ve happened in the next few moments, if Volyan had announced that it was he who ordered the death? There wasn’t much to say about how the coyote was feeling right now about being reminded of his Master’s death, however, it was enough to remind him of when he’d first started fighting, how he’d channeled that anger into relentless fire magick that’d startled his opponent…and even him. He’d watched as one of his first opponents had just suddenly…burst into flame, literally, how his mouth opened to scream agony, and all that came out was bright orange and red flames. It’d been a startling revelation, but it had allowed him to learn a bit about magick from the hedge wizards that he sometimes fought alongside.

Sure, he didn’t quite know how powerful the buzzard was, but he might as well try…it was his self appointed duty after all. He held no contempt for the assassins themselves, since, like he, they were only doing their job, and that was fine. It was the one who ordered them to do it that is the one holding the big circle target. A quick mental kick brought him out of his thoughts, and he flicked his tail a bit “So, what I’m getting from all this is that you want me to be your body guard for the duration of my stay here, to keep out any and all attempts on your life, and/or health, and to possibly spit that buzzard on a lance. Correct?” The coyote wasn’t too sure of that last one, but he could be hopeful, right?

[Alexandros]

“Not quite the last. Killing him now would be pointless. No, we need more influence in the Empire before killing him. I know, I know, how much more influence can you have than Emperor but…Akhaenniut has been parading himself as a God since I was seven, maybe even younger. He has as much influence as me, if not more. Only my father’d hold more influence over him, and that is because the majority of the Empire sees him as a God, now, too, since I reintroduced his feats into the histories of our lands.” Akhaenniut had gone through painstakingly long months to erase Alexander’s name from any and all records, only thing that remained of him was a statue in the heart of Aros, the original capital over the South Sea.

“In the mean time, until that happens, you have no duties. You are to live your life as you please, and partake in anything you wish, treated as an equal to those around you. The lot of us meet in my chambers once a week, to discuss matters regarding the Loyalists. A password will be sent to you weekly so you can attend the meeting. Akhaenniut might give you orders during your stay and I want you to follow them to the best of your abilities. Perhaps become a friend, of sorts, to him and report to us on his doings. If he orders you to assassinate me, I will find a way to smuggle you safely out of the city, so you won’t suffer from the fate meant for me.”

Volyan sighed, and moved towards the doors, knocking on them twice before they slowly began to open, and he took on his Imperial air once more. “I’ll expect to see you in my chambers tomorrow, then. We will talk more about your stay then. Until then, you’ll be confined to the palace, until we can give you a set of papers that we use to recognize those that live in the palace. The Imperial Seal will work for that, but…be careful, as even with guards, bandits roam the streets, looking for that seal to steal from the palace.” Volyan reached slowly out, judging Kiju’s outward features, before setting a paw on the coyote’s shoulder.

“If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask me, okay? I may be Emperor, but I am still a fox, and still one of our race. I believe in equality more than anything else, and as such, I won’t treat you any different than I would in your position.” Volyan squeezed Kiju’s shoulder lightly, before removing his paw from the coyote’s shoulder. “Take care until then, Master Lupin.”

[Kiju]

“Hmph…perhaps, but if he is dead, then there isn’t much one can say about him being a God.” The coyote shrugs, but nods and makes a mental note to put a peace-cord on each of his blades, to prevent him from drawing them in a rather tense moment with the bird, if one arises. Some thoughts went through his mind about what to do while around here. Being set to live in the palace definitely limited his traveling opportunities, and limited…other things that he partook in, but he’d find a way to fix that soon enough. Working for the buzzard? Perhaps…the money would definitely be good if this bird was as influential as the Emperor said he was, so that was one option. He would refuse to make any assassination attempts on anyone, including the Emperor, due to hating being in a secretive type mission where only one man (Or woman) died due to stealth. Sure, coyotes were good at stealth, but he disliked killing another in his sleep…that was just cowardly.

The coyote thought for a moment, then shrugged a bit while tilting his head “Confined to the palace mh? I hope that means its grounds as well, because I can’t exactly practice in a hallway or a room.” He pauses, then looks around the rather sizeable throne room “…of course, most likely I’ll be able to find a big enough chamber to do so.” His golden gaze falls on the fox again as a paw befalls his shoulder. The coyote tenses for a moment, but feels nothing more in it other than a comradely sense from it. He nods slightly, and lets a soft smile grace his now relaxed muzzle “Equality is good…and please just call me Kiju, I rather dislike my last name…” A slight wink is given to the Emporer “Just call if you need me, I’ll come if I’m not too busy.”

Once the Emperor had left the chamber, the coyote followed him out of it, and down the hall to just wander for now. He’d find his room in due time, but for now he might as well know where things were, right? One thing he was looking for was someplace to train when he had enough free time, since he wouldn’t be able to do so while indoors unless there was a room large enough. He doubted that they’d let him use the throne room for sword play, so he hoped that maybe there was something like a receiving chamber or perhaps some wide open field nearby where he could just have some alone time with his blades.

(Gah short, but...eh, deal wiff it. >.>)

[Raphael Augustus]

Volyan (Alexander)
85 Gold
1 Leadership
1 Intelligence

Kiju
86 Gold
1 Leadership
1 Intelligence

[Polaris]

It was with a bit of reluctance that Raelin slowly walked toward the palace, her paws making a soft 'pat' sound with each step she took. She wasn't fearful of anything that may, or may not, happen today, but she couldn't help but wonder about... well, many things. Why she came, what would have happened if she hadn't... A lot of things went through her mind, though not at such a speed that they were associated with overwhelming confusion, which Raelin wasn't about to argue with. Though - She was barely five minutes away from her destination, finally, so there was no turning back. What she was wondering now, she would have to deal with only wondering, and never knowing.

Her eyes drifted down to her left paw, which had folded parchment between her first and second fingers. Written on it was what had interested her enough to bring her here, though she couldn't recall the exact words. It had, after all, been a few days since she read it. Raelin just knew where she had to go, which was the only thing she had to know for now. When she parted her gaze from the paper, she realized that she was off of the stairs now, and walking across the floor, nearly at the entrance. She cringed a bit as she drew nearer, a feeling that she shouldn't be there coming over her. It quickly left her though, and her thoughts remained blank until she lifted her free paw to push one of the doors open.

And, that was a very hesitant task. Raelin had to coax herself to push her paw against the door, and when she did, it was a weak effort. As she moved into the palace, her paw rested itself on the hilt of her sword, which reminded her that it was due for a cleaning, but that wasn't important.

She was where she needed to be, and her eyes only had to search for a moment before her eyes found the Emperor - A fox. Raelin's nose wriggled a bit, and her head cocked to the side slightly. She couldn't say she was a canine fan, even though she was one. Ever since she left - or, perhaps 'taken' was a more suitable word - from her parents, she had fancied them. But, she stopped thinking about his species before anymore thoughts swarmed her mind.

After a few moments of looking up at the fox, she realized she should probably say something. After all, it was a little... odd to just stare each other down in complete silence in this situation. Raelin took a rather sharp inhale before speaking, "I do believe you wished to see me, Emperor Volyan, unless I misread this." As the word 'this' left her maw, she glanced down at the parchment in her paw, flipping it so it was visible from under the dark cloak she had over her body, and then back up at him. Her expression remained blank, somewhat solemn, as she awaited a reply.