The Heir of Archonia (Ashes and Empires 1)

Prologue
Emelina Winterborn, the First of Archonia, paced in her chambers. They were modest by Archonian standards, full of the customary whites and azures of her station and decorated with low-backed couches and armchairs. It was just enough to make the space feel lived in, but not overly luxurious. It had never made sense to her to decorate or alter the furnishings the last Archon and his First had left behind. The capital was a viper’s den full of predators who would smile to your face and stab you in the back a moment later—not a place to grow comfortable.
Completing her circuit, she turned and paced back in the opposite direction, passing the floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked Triarch’s Square and her children who played on the floor. They should have been in bed over an hour ago, but Skylar was late, and he was never late.
The summons had come little more than two hours ago. The members of the Triachi were gathering for an emergency session. The fact that the two pillars of the Archonian Government were meeting without the Archon was unusual, and coupled with Exarch Olarin’s recent commentaries, it was enough to make a woman worry.
“Momma?” Vander asked from the floor. “Where’s Father?”
Even at barely five years old, Vander had the wherewithal to feel that something was off.
“He’ll be here soon, honey.” Emelina smiled at her oldest in a way only a mother knew how, the way that made her inquisitive son feel more comforted, even if she herself wasn’t.
She cast a weary look in Robert’s direction. The head of the Winterborn House Guard was the only other occupant in the sitting room. He was dressed in the livery of their household, the whites and azure of winter, all covered by a polished set of chain mail. He didn’t wear a helm, not in the private chambers of the ruling family, but his sword was still strapped to his hip.