Some winters earlier

The cracking of wood on metal was initially deafening but was quickly drowned out by the thumping of hooves and the cheers from the crowd as two knights distanced themselves from their initial engagement.

As the knights manoeuvred their horses at the end of the arena, they grabbed their next lance, preparing to complete the next round of the joust.

"Sir Vanderbilt, I do hope you'll be blessing us with your presence," a deep voice commented from behind Sir Gervais Vanderbilt.

Sir Gervais turned and smiled, crow's feet cracked around his friendly, but distant brown eyes. His scarless face smiled with intent as he bowed slightly to the man who presented him with the question. "Absolutely, Your Majesty, I have a title and reputation to maintain."

Just behind him, a large rotund man, whose nonchalant and unenthusiastic pose pushed Sir Gervais into a much more forced smile.

"Hopefully not in that god-awful black armour," replied the large man whose posterior embraced the makeshift throne, twice the size of any other seat in the stand.

Sir Gervais' hair shifted as the breeze pushed its way through his silvery-tinged midnight hair. His nonchalant, but friendly demeanour displayed a hint of arrogance in his chiselled diamond-shaped face. Straightening his black tunic, laced with gold threading he brushed it down, ensuring that it looked perfect while facing the Emperor of the Isovine Empire.

"Fear, my liege, goes a long way toward victory in the lists. When the men see my black armour and the golden spider that sits proudly upon it, half of the victory is already within my grasp."

"Spare me your pearls of wisdom, Sir Gervais, it looks atrocious and dated," Emperor Arnaud III responded with a hint of ridicule in his boisterous voice.

"Don't listen to him, Sir Gervais. The ladies at court all think you look rather dashing," the strikingly attractive middle-aged woman next to the Emperor responded, "don't you agree, Lady Arianne?"

The Lady Arianne, stroked her smooth golden hair as she turned towards the royalty that sat behind them. Her sapphire blue eyes shone with mischievousness as her lips curled into a small smile, "I prefer to see my husband out of his armour, Your Majesty."

The Emperor's laughter boomed across the list almost drowning out the clashing of lances against steel, as the Queen echoed in his amusement.

Neither of them had noticed how one of the knights had tumbled off his horse causing the crowd to stand to their feet in recognition of the victor. It wasn't until the victor spun his horse around to face the Emperor and his retinue that Sir Gervais noticed his tunic flapping in the wind—a blue harpy surrounded by red thistles.

"Sir Dederick has improved this year, don't you agree?" The Emperor responded, briefly remembering that the knights were fighting in his name.

Sir Gervais returned his gaze towards the knight celebrating his victory. "That he has, my liege. He seems to have found a new sense of belief."

Lady Arianne laughed at his words as she smoothed her flowing hair once more, "I would not presume that belief is the word for the vigour found in one's bed-chamber. Word has it that he recently married and it has made him rather happy."

"Oh do tell," the Queen remarked, leaning forward slightly to indulge in the chance for some idle gossip.

The face of the Emperor scrunched up frustrated by the need to discuss pointless and trivial things, "I do not believe it right of my wife to be interested in the affairs of one of the realms knight errant."

Despite the Emperor's rebuke, Lady Arianne surmised that the rebuke was not aimed toward her, thus continuing the conversation with fervour. "The lady beside Sir Umfray and his wife," she casually pointed further up the stands. "The one with the blueish hair. Rumour has it that they wed only a few moons ago. Sir Dederick has been rarely seen emerging from his estate since she arrived."

Sir Gervais sighed before carefully placing his hand on the wrist of his beloved, "My dear, I believe that now is not the time."

As the crash of joust broke the palpable silence, while all eyes were on the two men launching their lances at each other, the Emperor appeared to have set his sights on the blueish-haired lady that Lady Arianne had gossiped about.

"Sir Gervais, do not concern yourself with the gossip of women, let them continue," the Emperor commented, changing his tone and demeanour almost instantly.

Despite the two knights steering their steeds to face the Emperor and pay respects to their liege, Arnaud III took no notice of them.

Sir Gervais felt a little uneasy as Lady Arianne nudged him playfully, "No one knows where she came from, and this is the first time someone saw her out in the open with him. Rather pretty young thing, though I find her hair rather, mmmm, unique."

The Queen started to appear somewhat agitated as she spotted her husband staring at the mysterious young woman, "Blue hair is rather repulsive, don't you think? Certainly not in fashion."

The scoff from the Emperor was tangible and appeared to make the Queen reel in her seat, "Fashion is as useful as gossip," he reprimanded, before turning back toward Sir Gervais. "I assume that you can arrange for Sir Dederick to receive my full congratulations at the banquet this night?"

Sir Gervais left a long glare toward his now blushing wife. "Certainly, Your Majesty."

As Lady Arianne's sparkling blue eyes met the despondent Sir Gervais, she mouthed words of apologies aware that the look from the Emperor towards the blue-haired woman was one of lust, not appreciation.

Rumours of the strained relationship between the Emperor and the Queen were becoming more rampant. As Lady Arianne nervously bit her bottom lip, she knew more than most about how accurate those rumours were.

Regularly, the Emperor had been seen taking various women to his bed-chamber and frequently used the opportunity to stain the Queen's illustrious dignity. The nobles of the Isovine Empire despised the Emperor and if it weren't for the almost mystical expertise and experience of his spymaster, Sir Gervais Vanderbilt, he would have been long since overthrown and executed.

The Isovine Empire was sitting on a powder keg, ever since the Emperor took it by force some winters ago. It was ready to explode at the first sign of the Emperor's vulnerability, and if the Queen, who was adored by the masses, was treated with disregard and disrespect, it could potentially be the piece of burnt tinder to fan the flame of imperial chaos and destruction.

—

The banquet after the jousting tournament was always a lavish affair. The Emperor still spared no expense to provide the most exciting entertainment for all who attended. The lines of staff bringing in a variety of hogs, boars, venison, fruits and ales seemed to be endless.

The jovial sounds of fiddles lutes and drums bounced effortlessly off the stone walls causing the patrons to smile in delight and the entertainers to perform their daring feats with impunity.

Sir Gervais watched as the Emperor gorged on a plump chicken leg. Grease slipped down his chin before he wiped it with the back of his hand, causing the grease to smear his bushy beard.

So many thoughts plagued Sir Gervais' mind, and he hoped that today's events were simply something that would be lost clearly in the winds of time.

"You worry my love?" Lady Arianne calmly spoke, placing her hand on Sir Gervais'.

"Do not concern yourself, my dear," Sir Gervais smiled.

Lady Arianne grabbed a hold of Sir Gervais' arm, not fooled by the fake smile that he forced upon himself. "I am your wife; it is my duty and privilege to concern myself."

He chuckled as he too leant into her embrace. "My role dictates I know everyone and everything in this room. Each person in this room, I know their rumours, their secrets, their pressure points and their anxieties, yet this woman of blue hair is an enigma and that concerns me. The Emperor has not removed his eyes from her since their arrival. Anyone that gets close to the Emperor who is a mystery to me puts this entire realm into a state of precariousness."

"I agree, and she is a woman who knows how to present herself in court in a way that draws attention toward her," Lady Arianne responded while watching the blue-haired woman who seemed to beam a cute, poignant smile every time someone gave her an incline of attention.

"Aye, you are correct, my love." Sir Gervais replied. "I will need to set to work on finding everything about her, before the Emperor's infatuation grows."

Lady Arianne stroked his greying black slick hair. "Not tonight my dear. Your duty is to sit in court as the victor of the joust. All eyes will be on you tonight but not as the spymaster, but as a knight of the realm."

Sir Gervais nodded and smiled before turning his head to watch the blue-haired beauty sit quietly next to her husband. As her eyes focused solely on the broad frame of the Emperor of Isovine, it concerned him even more. Despite his wife's warning, he would still set his network to task. Soon the eyes and ears of Isovine would work tirelessly to learn the secrets of the blue-haired mystery.

"Sir Gervais Vanderbilt" a deep booming voice echoed across the room breaking Sir Gervais from his thoughts.

He stood as etiquette dictates "Your majesty?" he replied, straightening his black and golden tunic.

"Pray do tell how it feels to regain your title as Champion of Isovine?"

There was a massive cheer from the rest of the patrons within the great hall. Sir Gervais smiled as he studied the room and the faces within it. "Expected your majesty." He laughed. There was another cheer, one of a more mocking nature. "In all honesty, your majesty, the standard of your knights this year has certainly improved. Regaining the title was far more challenging."

While his words were full of respect, in reality, they were a complete fabrication of the truth. All of the knights within the empire of renown refused to attend the tourney out of defiance toward the Emperor, which left the list full of inexperienced upstarts or any knight errant hoping to make a name for themselves.

The standard was as stable as the Empire which Sir Gervais spent every waking moment trying to hold together.

"As to be expected." the Emperor commented before devouring into a hog leg.

"Three cheers for the Widow Maker" a call from across the room came.

As the first cheer came up, Sir Gervais tried not to show his displeasure at the given title.

He despised the moniker given to him for his services for supporting the Emperor. As a spymaster, gathering intelligence on everyone in the realm required him to do some exceptionally unsavoury things. As he tortured and executed hundreds in the name of the Emperor, Sir Gervais' sense of morality had been severely tested and broken several times. While the moniker had given him a level of respect and notoriety within the Empire like no other, it was a constant reminder to him that he had become the very type of man that he never wanted to be.

As he sat down to the final cheer, he spotted the Emperor speaking to one of his staff before summoning Sir Gervais to his side.

"You fought well today Sir Gervais." the Emperor commented as Sir Gervais took his position behind him. "What can you tell me of Sir Dederick?"

Sir Gervais despised the way that the Emperor went indirectly to the subject of his interest. A brief insincere and blatantly superficial comment of praise was always met with the true intentions of his interaction, and even though words of Sir Dederick were spoken, the continuous lustful gazes between the Emperor and the mysterious blue-haired woman meant the inevitable was about to happen, like so many times before.

"Sir Dederick, son of Sir Harvard of Harpyshore." Sir Gervais started.

"Harpyshore?" the Emperor asked, looking towards his guests in the centre of the room.

"A small village in the south-west. I believe your predecessor gave Sir Harvard an estate and knighthood during the second Ruffyford uprising. Apart from the estate, I do not believe Sir Dederick is entitled to anything else. He is the only offspring of Sir Harvard, and the estate is only some five acres with a household of four." continued Sir Gervais.

The Emperor seemed to chuckle while gorging more on his hog. "And his wife?"

Sir Gervais did all that he could not to look repulsed by the inevitable question, "I do not know your majesty. I was not aware of Sir Dederick's union until a few moons ago, but I have no knowledge of the Lady of Harpyshore before this time."

The Emperor glanced over his shoulder. "The great Widow Maker, bested by a woman," he said while chuckling to himself.

Sir Gervais briefly nodded his head "It will not happen again your majesty."

Watching the servants that made their way to Sir Dederick and his blue-haired wife, Sir Gervais studied how the flailing knight-errant desperately attempted to display acts of chivalry to his extremely elegant lady. Pushing his hand away in defiance, she rose to her feet, ignoring the servants that stood around her.

Her beauty and elegance were unmatched in the room, flowing from her seat like water up a stream.

Despite the attention meant for Sir Dederick, all eyes were on the mysterious young woman who strutted toward the Emperor with an air of authority. Her stature was short, but her presence flooded the room.

The frostiness in her pale blue eyes caused even Sir Gervais to feel a shiver of intimidation as she approached. Despite doing what he could not to think negatively of the knight that he jousted with earlier, Sir Gervais could not help but think that this woman was far beyond Sir Dederick's station.

Within moments, the member of the Emperor's staff had brought Sir Dederick and his wife to stand before the Emperor at his head table. Sir Dederick, standing red-faced and blushing, instantly lowered his head while his wife, in all her fair-faced beauty, curtsied with neither of them raising their eyes once toward the Emperor.

"Your majesty, may I introduce Sir Dederick, son of Sir Harvard, Knight of Isovine and his wife, Nimue, daughter of Oriona." the servant introduced.

Despite his apprehension and potential grievances about the young lady in front of him, Sir Gervais could not help but admire her exceptional beauty. Her long flowing blue hair, rested effortlessly on her shoulder, deliberately covering her pale milky skin from her exposed neck. Her small, dainty frame made her appear incredibly delicate, but as she glanced briefly toward Sir Gervais, he could see a glint of mischievousness and strength in her overpowering intoxicating sky-blue eyes.

Beautiful could not describe the perfection that Nimue carried as she curtsied with confidence and grace. The small pigmentations that decorated her striking face seemed to create an air of cuteness, while her bright rose-coloured pert lips brought about a lustfulness that caused the men around her to stare in awe.

For moments, they stood, waiting for a word from the Emperor to allow them to move, but as he sat there, unattractively with his mouth wide open, dumbfounded by the blue-haired beauty, it was the Queen, frustrated by her husband's ineptitude, that cut across the silence. "Sir Dederick, you fought well today at the lists."

The long blonde-haired Sir Dederyck smiled revealing his barely growing stubble. The man could have been not seen more than twenty winters in his life. "You honour me, Your Majesty," he replied, a somewhat whiny voice causing some amusement to the people around him.

"I had not seen you at court before today, what made you attempt this year's tournament?" the Queen asked.

He brushed one of his golden locks from his sweating forehead. "My lovely wife, Nimue. She suggested that we make the trip. I admit, there was a certain appeal to go into the lists against the famed Widow Maker himself." Sir Dederick responded, his voice crackling in embarrassment.

"Sir Gervais does have that effect on young Knights." the Queen replied, flicking a quick smile to the uncomfortable spymaster next to her.

"You fought well today, young man. Not many stay on their horse the first time they face me." Sir Gervais acknowledged.

"It's an honour, my Lord." Sir Dederick replied like a giddy school child.

'This was embarrassing for all parties involved' thought Sir Gervais, especially when he noticed Nimue only setting eyes on the most powerful man in the Empire.

"You, young lady, are you from common stock? I have not heard of your family before?" asked the Queen in a very abrupt direct manner.

Nimue seemed to swing around towards the Queen like water. Her bright blue eyes appeared to become almost white and cold, but her smile was still graceful and smooth. "My family is from a region far below Isovine Your Majesty," Despite her slender and cute frame, her voice commanded an air of authority.

The Queen looked rather frustrated, realising that Nimue had avoided her question. "Far below Isovine? What made you decide to take the long and obviously arduous trip?"

"It is none of your business, woman!" the Emperor barked, his plump round face reddened with rage. "She is now one of my subjects, and I have extended my hospitality to her."

The tension between the most influential husband and wife in the Empire was palpable. The Queen, angered by her rebuke, sat, stone-faced as her eyes darted between the Emperor and his new 'subject'. Her anger was apparent, but her dignity dictated that she would refrain from responding in a verbal tirade.

"Sir Dederick, the lovely Nimue, I welcome you to Lionmane, the capital of Isovine. I shall make sure you have a place to stay here in the castle for as long as you deem necessary," ordered the Emperor while extending his gratitude.

"Your Majesty's hospitality is far greater than the rumours have suggested." Nimue seductively responded while curtsying.

As if encouraged by the offer extended to them, the Knight and Lady of Harpyshore bowed once more and took three steps back. A tinge of regret flushed its way through Sir Gervais as he watched Nimue's eyes goad the Queen before enticing the Emperor.

The spymaster was gravely concerned. Many ladies had easily found the attention of the Emperor, and many of them received the ire of the Queen, yet Nimue had expertly navigated her way through the conversation with ease, gaining the Emperor's attention and approval effortlessly.

Before Sir Gervais could analyse the encounter, the Emperor had already raised two fingers summoning his subordinate to his side.

As Sir Gervais leant forward, he knew what was coming "Yes your majesty?"

"Find something on this Sir Dederick, something that will stick. I want him executed before the next full moon." the Emperor ordered without hesitation and remorse.

There was no holding back the sigh that forced its way out of Sir Gervais' lips. Every ounce of his body wanted to reject the request, but to avoid any further, more severe scandal, for the good of the realm, his soul would be put on the line again. "Of cause," he hesitated before continuing "Your Majesty," pure disdain seethed through his words.

Returning to his seat, Lady Arianne could see the disappointment Sir Gervais had in his downcast eyes. "How does this woman fit on your scale?"

Sitting down and straightening his tunic, Sir Gervais looked directly at the blue-haired Nimue who seemed to be making minimal attempt to talk to the patrons around her. As she looked up towards the Emperor once more, Sir Gervais evaluated the scales he set in his mind on how dangerous a member within the court is to the Empire.

"I've met some disruptive and some seductive women in my time," he turned toward Lady Arianne, "Never before have I met one who could potentially set this Empire on fire."

He turned back to Nimue and watched as she ignored any small signs of affection her husband was showing her. As she seemed to push his hand away for the third time in the evening, Sir Gervais made his final analysis. "This Empire is constantly on the verge of collapse and all it needs is a push from the wrong person to set it alight. This woman is dangerous and will tear the Empire apart to get what she truly wants. I need to know everything I can about her, because if she is even one step ahead of me, many people will die as a result of her actions. Potentially me included."