Horatio lethargically lay down the notice upon the guild council's table and passively stared at its rough, wooden surface. The look on his face was one that the understudy had never seen before. His mentor was never very good as expressing his emotions, but nor was he that good at hiding them. But this... it seemed easier to see the heart of a forest from the outside than to know what was going through his mind.
"Sir? What does it say? What is the king's request?", said the pupil, inflecting hope into his tone as if that alone would lighten the mood.
"I fear, my friend, that our king will never make another request of us, ever again," spoke the guildmaster, his voice wavering momentarily.
"What?! Does he mean to disband us? Who will watch over the island, or the port? We have been nothing but...." came the excited reply, too hastily filled with anger, before being stopped by a raised hand.
"Our King is dead. Arjen the third has passed from this plane, leaving behind his son as successor. Though there was a time when I did not see him for many years, with the building of the southern harbor we had recently reconnected. It was to him that I pledged myself when I first came to Hermertia and as such he is responsible for starting the work that we have undertaken here and abroad." Though he had regained control of his voice, the pupil could see now the sadness in Horatio's eyes. "I shall miss him."
"I see... Shall I pass on word to the others, sir?"
"Please, though I shall inform the townsfolk of Port Burwell myself. I have not met Arjen IV yet, but no doubt that will happen in due time. For now, I shall draft a reply from us reaffirming our loyalty to our new liege. And let everyone know - I want the construction on the towers finished by the end of the week, if not sooner. In his honour, I want the banners flying as high as we can put them." Picking up a nearby quill and parchment, the guildmaster nodded to his apprentice. "Be quick about it, or I'll have you travelling the nether to deliver this - on foot!"
Nodding his head, the pupil silently left the room, leaving Horatio alone with his thoughts and the official notice. Rising from his seat, he looked out the council chambers' windows at the fading light of the sun setting in the distance, as it had done countless times before. Only today, the light of the world seemed a little dimmer than before...
_________________ _________________ Horatio Vulkani Citizen of Ertia Cartographer / Explorer / User of Big Words
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