Thret, son of Lord Worgan of Kerulgarz, had returned to his homeland after the reporting ceremony to mourn the loss of his father. Worgan had been a good father to him, but he found he wasn’t too sorrowful that the man had died. Rather, he believed his father had found a perfect place to die. Shoulder to shoulder with the Princess Knight and the Lion of Morsharz, he had fallen only after fighting to the bitter friend. A warrior to the core, his father had always imagined this end for himself.
Thret didn’t have any worries about what was to come next. Worgan had often told others what he wanted to transpire upon his death. Fighter that he was, constantly dancing with death, Worgan had always known that certain decisions had to be made.
According to Worgan, his eldest son, Worren, would become the next head of the house. His second son, Thret, would be Worren’s knight, and the third son, Gils, would become a priest. The younger two were expected to support Worren utterly. Worgan hadn’t yet prepared an appropriate position for the fourth son, Harlest, to assume one day, but he’d taught the boy to do his best to support his eldest brother. The reason his will was more ambiguous when it came to Harlest was because the boy was only six years old at the time, so naturally, he didn’t know what he wanted to do with his life.
Thret had no objections to the will. Contrary to popular opinion, Worgan’s sons shared quite a favorable relationship. The eldest brother was sickly, but no one could find fault with his nature and intellect. Thret would become his brother’s sword in leading the troops. Gils had the highest capacity for magic, and he would unite the temples in the territory, thus reassuring the populace. Still, what would the youngest brother do?
He was a bright boy, so what about sending him to the palace to learn how to mediate matters with the higher-ups? Worren would surely find the perfect role for him sooner or later. In any case, Thret at least knew what he had to do. He had sustained heavy injuries in the battle, but he knew he and his brothers would be able to overcome them together. That was the future Thret saw laid out before him.
And so, he accepted his father’s death, but his brother’s death was a different matter entirely.
The night of their father’s funeral, when Thret learned of his brother’s worsening condition, he turned white as a sheet. Thret had received a knight’s education and had done his best to stay well away from politics, but he knew enough to understand the weight of these circumstances. His brother was at the center of his siblings’ future, so it was clear what would happen if he died.
Thret’s frantic efforts to treat Worren were in vain, and he drew his last breath the next day.
There was no time to wallow in grief. Upon his brother’s death, Thret immediately set to action. He needed to hurry to secure his brothers’ support, but he was already too late. Before Worren had even gone cold, the two youngest brothers were whisked away to their respective mothers’ houses. The reason was clear. Both grandfathers were plotting to install their respective grandsons as the next head of the house instead of Thret.
On his maternal side, Thret hailed from the house of a lowly knight. With this house providing no backing whatsoever, the other families considered him a minor obstacle to overcome. Even so, if a little politicking was all it took for one of his younger brothers to become lord in his place, Thret would have been fine with serving them. A slight change of plans, that was all.
However, unpleasant rumors soon began spreading. These rumors claimed that Thret had poisoned his older brother. He never learned who had started them, but they were a clear declaration of war. His enemy didn’t intend to leave any room for Thret in their vision for the future. They planned on branding him a traitor in order to remove him completely.
His late father, Worren, had been a proud knight, and Thret took after him more than any of his brothers did. Very well, he thought. If you want to pick a fight, you’ll get one.
A knight never turned down a challenge, so Thret resolved himself. He had very few allies, but neither did he stand alone, so he felt he had a chance.
He went on to win the war.