Decreash Imperial castle
************
On a cold night, three months after the death of his father, Ragaleon got a visit from his mother.
He was in his chamber, bent over a large oak table, where a huge map was rolled open.
There were different red dots on the map, representing strong kingdoms, and the black dots represented kingdoms that he was yet to overthrow.
He was engrossed in his peripheral duties and didn't know when his mother stepped in unnoticed.
It was only when she walked past one of the candles in the room and a big shadow was cast on the wall that Ragaleon lifted his gaze, his hand already settled on the dagger sheathed under the long white garment he was wearing.
When he saw that it was his mother, he was astounded. He removed his hand from the sheathed dagger, his eyes falling back to the map.
"Are the days of mourning not over?" he asked calmly. "Why are you still dressed in black?"
His voice was casual but cruel in a way.
"My own son has decided to give me a reason to mourn, after the death of my husband. By bringing five wives into a household that is already divided."
When he heard her say these words, he remained silent for a brief moment before going ahead to say,
"Speak plainly, Mother, and do well to choose your words carefully."
When he said that, she already knew she had his listening ear, but to say she didn't fear her own son was simply an understatement.
Yes, he gave her the respect due to a mother as a son would, but his name had quickly spread across the realms since his father's death.
Within a short span of time, he had already become the subject on everyone's lips; she feared for his life.
"You know too well how this household became divided and how a family that was united became disharmonized. Because your father brought in another woman, a whore he picked from the scrums."
Her glass-skinned face wrinkled as she made such a remark; no matter how she tried to hide it, she hated Johanna.
"Have you not seen the destruction that comes with having multiple wives? Already you have inherited your father's harem; is that not enough to be contented with?"
She heard a low hymn escape his lips before he finally lifted his gaze from the map.
"Is this what troubles you, Mother?"
He said almost in a mocking manner, but he dared not mock his own mother.
He was a man to be feared, but it never pleased him to put fear in the heart of his own mother. Although she has proven to be more devious in her ways than he could ever be. Rumor has it that Selena had murdered more of Harris's concubines than he could ever count.
It was a marvel as to why Harris's second wife, Johanna, was still alive.
"You tempt me, Mother. To have asked such a thing, to have questioned my decision."
He began with a calm tone as he withdrew from the table, his hands crossed behind his back.
His shoulder-length hair rested squarely on his shoulders, and his thick brows outline his otherworldly face, giving it a refined feature that was out of this world.
He grabbed an apple from a fruit basket residing on a table at the corner of the vast chamber.
He brought the apple to his lips, then paused before placing it aside; a thought had just crossed his mind.
"Come nearer, Mother."
He cooed, reversing his steps back to the table. Selena stepped forward, the candlelight in the room dancing across her face.
If anyone saw her, they would definitely conclude that she was an oracle of beauty in her prime; she aged like fine wine.
Ragaleon could now see every emotion etched on his mother's face up close; he saw the pain in her eyes.
She had doted on Harris more than any woman did. And to think she was still facing the shock from his death….
"Look at me, Ragaleon." Her voice had a leery tone.
Ragaleon's gaze was fixed on the map.
But when Selena asked him to look her in the eyes, he slowly raised his nonchalant gaze.
"Why did you do it? Five women, five wives."
Ragaleon was calm; he allowed his eyes to drop back to the map, then signaled his mother to come even closer until she now stood beside him by the table.
"This is Hamstung, the second-largest kingdom in the nation." He began, his index finger tapping one of the territories marked with a red dot, towards the south.
"This country has the best slave trade market in the east; they mine gold as if it were nothing precious. The king is a selfish but ambitious man, but I made him swear an oath of loyalty to me. Do you want to know how? I made his daughter Jia my fourth queen."
Swaying his hands to the northern side of the map... "This is Vandamonth, the third-largest kingdom in the nation.
This kingdom has the most sagacious rulers, including greedy King Jarob.
I needed the fealty of this man, Jarob. His kingdom stands as the largest in the north, and he could easily eliminate us in battle. But that shall not happen anytime soon. Because I married his daughter, Jazell, I made her my second wife.
Jarob Makaah swore fealty to me, even to death. "Ragaleon's voice became strategic.
"This is Samaria, the fourth largest kingdom in terms of population," he said, pointing towards the eastern side of the map.
"The pillar of military forces, skilled swordsmen, knights, and brave royal guards, lies in the hand of this very kingdom. I have this kingdom wrapped around my little fingers. How, you may ask? Racheal, their first daughter, is my first wife. I married her, ignoring the fact that she is a widow with a son for another man."
Selena lifted her brows in sheer amusement, dazzled by how her son had grown to be so wise.
She pouted her lips to say something, but she was frightened by the tone of his voice.
"This here is Nehoviah..." She heard him say, and her eyes darted towards the southeast latitude of the map.
"It is the fifth largest kingdom towards the south. The king controls half the seaports, a valuable accessory should war ever come knocking on our doors. If I may ask, Mother, do you know why we have such an enviable ally?"
Selena looked away. Of course she knew the answer to that question.
"You had to get married to the royal princess of Nehoviah, Tamina Ashram; you made her your fifth wife." Selena answered dryly.
"This is Canna..." Ragaleon's hand slides to the far north of the map. The queen of Canna, Yumi Jesophath, comes from Galvestone, an important ally we need, and to get that, I had to wed her only daughter, the royal princess of Canna, Katie."
There was a brief silence, and the atmosphere was filled with tension. Finally turning to face his mother, his gaze rested on her.
"Before his death, Father amassed a lot of enemies, going as far as to draw out blood and seize ownership of lands, with no accountability to back up his claims.
We have enemies in the east, the south, the north...enemies thirsty to draw out blood...my blood."
He paused, allowing his words to sink in before proceeding.
"What I did, I did it for the safety of this empire. Decreash is the largest kingdom in the country, but that is not enough. We still need allies; we need loyal kings at our beck and call.
These women I wedded, each of them, have their core role to play; they are my weapons."
Selena's eyes were finally opened to see the wisdom in what her son did. Although she did not admit it out loud, she was swelling with pride to have brought such a blessing into her life, in the form of a son.
His shoulder-length hair sinfully swayed as he walked away from his mother with precision.
"You should never question a king's decision, Mother." He said without looking back, his voice void of remorse.
"I see it now."
She said, her chin lifted, she refused to admit she was wrong to have misjudged; rather, she would embrace his judgment.
"I shall take my leave now; I must leave you to rest for the next day's activity." She said before turning to leave. She had no more words for her son; he wasn't one to be easily reckoned with.
She paused at the threshold after a thought, then tilted her head sideways, her lips parting…
"I bless the day the gods gave you to me."
He heard her say before she disappeared through the door.
This happened six months ago, and ever since then, Selena has never dared to question any of her son's decisions.
************
Seated in a chamber with memories glued to her like a latch was Selena.
Her two hands were working absentmindedly, knitting a fine blanket, while her thoughts were scattered.
"My lady, breakfast is ready." She heard the voice of a maid, and she lifted her gaze gracefully, her hand coming to a halt.
"I shall skip breakfast today. I would like to be left alone, undisturbed, with nothing but my thoughts."
The maid heard her words loud and clear and nodded curtly before disappearing through the door.
.......
The horrific tales of how Decreash became a sovereign kingdom have been scripted in books and studied by many historians.
It is said that before it was fully established as a kingdom, Decreash was a town filled with bloody barbarians. It was dreaded by all and thus became very popular.
Years later the states surrounding that territory were amalgamated, and those states came to stand as one kingdom.
The first king of Decreash was Cassian Von Clegane, Ragaleon's great-grandfather. An astounding political figure whose reign would never be forgotten in the history of Decreash.
He was a self-made king; he imposed his power on his people and controlled the major ports and traders' landmarks, having an edge over all other kingdoms in the nations.
His wife, Jesemah, bore him a son, Lavender Von Clegane, Ragaleon's grandfather. Although Jesemah bore him many sons, Cassian took a liking to Lavender because he saw that he was hard-hearted.
Many years passed, and Lavender took in a wife, who bore him three sons and two daughters.
Harris was one of the sons his wife bore, and Lavender quickly took a liking to Harris because of his laudable charisma.
He was both charming and petrifying in his doings as a prince. To claim the throne of Decreash, Harris had his older brother, Duncan, killed in a great battle.
No one knew of this; it was a conspiracy that faded with time. Harris' younger brother Cohen was also killed in his sleep on a fateful night, and till now the pieces of that story were never truly brought together.
His two sisters, Gavani, and Lysara were both married to the princes of small kingdoms, never to be heard of again.
Years later Harris fell for a woman named Selene, but when he married her, he had her change her name to Selena.
He doted on this woman so much that he spoiled her immensely. He bedded her, and she bore him a son, Ragaleon.
Harris journeyed out of the castle years later to a war brewing outside the territory of Decreash.
The war lasted for months, and he was forced to be away from Selena. In his vulnerable moment, while he was drunk, a woman was brought to his tent at night where they had camped. He made love to her.
The name of this woman is Johanna.
After days of endless battles, Decreash triumphed in the war; their victory brought great comfort to the people, but by the time Harris was to return to his kingdom, a woman he could barely recognize claimed she was heavy with his child.
He was tormented and greatly disturbed because he had promised Selena he wouldn't take another woman.
But he had a choice; he could have left her to fend for herself, or he could have had a house built in his name for her and provided for the mother and child, but he chose better.
He brought Johanna to the castle, and at that time, she was six months pregnant with the child in her womb, and Ragaleon was just three years old.
There was division in the castle for days.
Selena wept and cursed, but truly nothing could be done about it because Harris had made up his mind; he had compassion for the woman he impregnated and wanted his child to enjoy his wealth and be born in the land of his ancestors.
Three months later, Johanna gave birth to William, but his birth wasn't celebrated; it was hidden, and it was through this that William learned to grow under the shadow of his brother Ragaleon.
To make it up to Selena, he loved her even more and gave all his attention to her. He bedded Selena, and she gave birth to his first daughter, Helena, Ragaleon's sister.
When Harris came to realize that he had forsaken his second wife and refused to touch her just to please Selena, he was filled with remorse.
He turned his attention back to his second wife, and years later, he came into Johanna's chamber and slept with her, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Leah.
Things were never the same after the birth of Leah. Selena refused to accept Harris's second family, and this brought a deep fracture into their relationship.
Because of this, Harris was filled with resentment towards her, so he turned his attention to Johanna.
Little did he know that this was the beginning of division in the household of the Cleganes.