Once Vigilant had returned to the palace he hid the parcel with notes on the canopy above his queen size bed. Once that was done he went to sleep, though it was a restless kind of sleep. He dreamed of running but never reaching his goal. He saw himself falling down a great pit, the leering grin of a monster awaiting him at the bottom. He saw an orb, a round azure crystal that glowed with the intensity of the sun. Finally, he saw his mother’s face, and she looked at him with sadness and concern. He reached out with his right paw to touch her, only for her to turn to ash.

Vigilant awoke in the early hours of the morning. He looked suspiciously around the room and tried to see if anything looked out of place. Yet there was nothing. No notes had been disturbed, no drawer had been open, and no window was unlocked. The hearth was smoldering with the remains of yesterday's fire and it still spread a comforting warmth through the room.

A knock on the door brought Vigilant out of his musings and he sat up on the bed. “Enter.”

The door swung open and a maid walked in. She carried a tray in her magical grasp filled with an assortment of breakfast articles and toiletries. Vigilant recognized her red skin and eyes. She had been the maid who had flirted with him when he returned from the funeral. A calm smile was splayed across her lips. The maid bowed to him before walking over to the desk and placing the tray on it. With her back to him, Vigilant could appreciate the maid outfit she wore. The white and black dress hugged her curves firmly, and the prince looked away with a blush.

“How did you know I was awake?” Vigilant asked and cleared his throat.

She walked over to the hearth and put some more logs onto the fire. “I didn’t. Beriit Olim ordered me to wake you early since you have to hold court today.”

Vigilant groaned in frustration and fell back onto the bed. “For the love of Demos...”

“I can assure you all will be fine. I heard that there are just a few who need to see you today, though the silfy ambassador is among them. He has demanded an audience with you, summoned you for one even.”

“I did promise him to move him to the top of the list… Fine, I shall go meet with ambassador Veilas. Would you kindly find something fitting for the occasion?” Vigilant asked.

The maid hummed and walked over to his wardrobe. She pulled it open with a simple spell and looked around the many outfits and robes. She settled on a navy blue military jacket with a green silk band tied to his chest. She levitated it over to Vigilant who took it with a thankful nod.

The prince got dressed and looked at himself in the mirror. He eyed his gelatinous mane and tried to straighten it out with magic. However, just as he cast the spell it felt like a heavy force slammed against his mind. Vigilant stumbled back and groaned. He held his head with a paw and scrunched his eyes shut. The presence pounded against his mind with even more force, yet it was unable to break through his mental walls. Vigilant growled and pushed the walls against the presence, forcing it out of his mind.

The maid eyed him with concern. “Are you alright, your highness?”

“I am fine, just a demon trying to possess me. Spellcasting is dangerous, but a spell as simple as that should not attract such strong demons...” he mumbled.

She smiled and grabbed a hairbrush with her magic and walked over to him. “Demons like to attack powerful mages, take it as a compliment from the other side.”

Vigilant sat down on the floor and allowed the maid to run the brush through his mane, straightening it out and making it presentable. “I don’t think it is a compliment that they want to possess my body for carnal pleasures.”

“Mortal pleasures, your highness, mortal pleasures. Remember your demonology classes, not your religious ones.”

“What difference does it make? They want to possess me all the same,” the prince mumbled.

Vigilant stood up and stretched once the maid was done. He eyed himself in the mirror and smiled. His light blue skin matched well against the jacket, and his mane now looked presentable. The maid added a few seashells into the mane for some flair and then smiled with satisfaction at her work.

“There we go. You look dashing, your highness. I am sure some young noble mare will look upon you with favor today.”

Vigilant blushed. “I don’t think our young ladies are so forward but thank you.”

The maid rolled her eyes. “I saw lady Umbra pull a guard stallion into a closet once, they can be very forward when they want to be.”

“By the gods' such crude accusations! From a commoner no less!” Vigilant sputtered.

She just grinned at him. “You need to learn how to relax, your highness. If you think my jabs are crude and in poor taste then you will faint once you visit Silfy.”

The maid looked around the room before grabbing some dirty outfits and the white cloak Vigilant had used the previous day. She eyed the cloak for a moment before she opened her mouth as if to speak, though she stopped herself and bowed. “Eat your breakfast and pray to the gods, my liege. The guards outside will escort you to the throne room when you are ready.”

The maid left and Vigilant eyed her flank as she did so. He tore his gaze away as she closed the door and closed his eyes. He prayed to Cirelin for clear skies, as he always did, and he prayed to Demos for his mother’s soul. When he was about to turn to the food he thought for a second before closing his eyes once more and praying to Bael, the god of mysteries and those who searched for answers. He asked Bael to bless his quest to find the truth, so he could punish those who had murdered his mother. Vigilant then turned to his food and began eating. He enjoyed the tuna and ham that had been brought to him, and even more so the sweet wine. When he was done the prince left the room and looked upon the two guards who stood on each side of his door.

“We have been ordered to escort you to the throne room, your highness,” the mare to the left said.

Vigilant nodded before he remembered something. He quickly rushed into his room and closed the door behind him. He grabbed the parcel from atop the canopy with a spell, this time siphoning just a small amount of energy Forcis, and pulled it close. Once that was done he exited his room and motioned for the guards to show the way.

The walk to the throne room did not take long. The winding corridors of the palace were designed to lead to the throne room, like arteries that funneled blood to a heart. Once they reached the hall outside the throne room Vigilant was met by a massive line of ponies. They looked to be everything from nobles to commoners. They called out his name and vied for his attention.

One mare dressed in s fine silk dress stepped out from the line. “Your highness, I demand an audience at once! I have waited for three hours and my request is very urgent.”

“Ha! I have waited for four hours and my request far exceeds the importance of lady Orelia’s,” another mare huffed.

“The crops aren’t growing, your highness! Our town will starve unless we are given magical aid! Please send some mages to help us!” a stallion in the back called.

More and more voices screamed for Vigilant’s attention. The prince pressed his ears against his head and sighed. He closed his eyes and tried to calm himself, though he still growled at the constant noise created by the ponies around him. “I will see ambassador Veilas first. The rest of you will receive your audience in due time.”

Veilas, who had been in the middle of the line, walked past the other nobles and ambassadors with a wide grin. They hollered and cursed at him in response. Though they could do little as the guards pushed them back and Vigilant led the silfy stallion inside the throne room.

The prince looked upon the room as he entered it. The throne room was formed like a theatre hall. Seats stacked on top of each other in rows faced the throne on both sides of the room and left one small corridor in the middle of it all for people to walk on. A red carpet covered said corridor and it only stopped when it reached the base of the dais the throne stood upon. The throne itself was magnificent to behold. Its armrests and back were littered with golden pearls, each one was as large as an eye. Seashells had been grafted into the stone and wood which made up the throne and it gave it a scaly appearance. Finally, there was a large green pillow on the throne made of silk.

Vigilant stopped and admired it all before Veilas cleared his throat.

“Of course, apologies.”

The prince walked up to the throne and looked it over. His mother had sat upon it just a few weeks prior. She had been radiant and wise. She had guided Cosea with a firm but gentle paw. He could almost see her before him. She would smile and ask how his day had been if he had met any mares, to which Vigilant would have blushed and whined. He smiled before he came back to reality and looked upon an empty throne. He sat down on it and sighed before he nodded at Veilas.

“The reason why I wanted to hold this audience, your highness, is because the emperor has called upon you. You have received an invitation to his palace, and it is not an invitation you can or should refuse,” the ambassador said with a serious expression.

Vigilant tilted his head at the stallion before him and frowned. “Why does the emperor wish to meet with me? He holds no love for our faith or for our way of life. In your own words you are the only stallion with a spine on our island, so why does the emperor of the northern sea wish to see me?”

Veilas shrugged. “I am not one to question the orders of my ruler. I would guess that he wishes to see Starlit Eyes’ successor, considering your mother helped draft the peace treaty between our empire and the Silventian republic. The emperor wants to know if you are like your mother.”

“And how long is the journey to Silfy by ship? I have never made the crossing before.”

“Two weeks, your highness. A little over one week if you have a fast ship and good captain, but your nation lacks both.”

Vigilant glared at the stallion. “Do not insult our navy, ambassador. We have some of the fastest ships in the world, and we protect the southern sea and Cosea bay from pirates. I expect some respect for our sailors and captains.”

Veilas nodded. “Of course, your highness. Silfy has always appreciated your navy’s presence in pirate-infested waters, it helps keep the merchant vessels safe after all. But we both know who has the more powerful navy and better equipment. We are bred for war, your highness, you just avoid them.”

The prince sighed and rolled his eyes. “Always boasting, aren’t you, ambassador Veilas?”

“It is merely my job, your highness,” Veilas grinned and left the chamber.

Vigilant pondered on the ambassador’s words. He leaned back into the throne and closed his eyes. If he visited Silfy then he would need to prepare himself. The emperor would likely expect him to act like Veilas or a stallion from Silfy. Then again that was just his assumption. He would have to ask for advice from the council, even if he hated the idea of being in the same room as them.

Vigilant looked towards the door at the other end of the room and breathed in deeply. He could ponder on what to do later. Right now he had more stallions and mares that required his attention.

“Next!” Vigilant yelled and the door swung open.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading the sixth chapter of CoS! I hit you with two of them today since I have been gone for such a long time. Here's to not being dead and having survived 2020! Cheers!