Commissioned from  FortunataFox

Milo Greeneyes and his brother Shaer discuss local matters.

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Milo was in a small aviary, delivering messages and missives to his allies. He had written a single mark upon several stamps, each to be delivered to a new lord from across the sea. Some flew north, others flew west. The cage of the aviary squealed with sizable gulls, which Milo would personally feed. He was personally preparing for this war, and plans were moving fast, and time was never on his side. His thoughts raced on what to do next. He knew full well that the Green Eyed Horde would need allies, and he and his father spent much of their lives building up those alliances, spying and plotting. Many would have to come, as birds flew around. Milo would bring a force of darkness to his isle in time, and from there he would set his plans into motion, but was yet disturbed by a cough and grunt behind him.

Milo turned, seeing the face of his brother, a fatter but still fit wild cat. He was an odd creature to be certain, often over dressed to the point of being a nuisance. His white cloak was pinned with an ornate golden pin depicting two fighting cats clawing at one another, his paws littered with rings, and an obnoxious golden chain draped from his neck on the outside of his shirt. Milo may have been emperor, but his brother Shaer looked like a position above his own, but lacked a crucial crown to adorn his head. Milo however perhaps saw things a bit differently. He looked like a clown.

“Brother, you called for me?”

“It is emperor to you Shaer.” Milo reminded him, closing a hatch on the aviary, turning to confront his brother. Shaer gave a swift report “I wish you would send for me in a proper manner befitting a brother of your highness. Chuggas, your chamberlain, would dare send for common rats to summon me! I’d have had that wretch whipped for such insolence.”

“And if you speak ill of my wife’s brother in such a manner again, brother, you will be scrubbing floors in this palace with the slaves. For four long gruelling seasons.”

Shaer silenced himself. He wanted to speak up and against Milo, but the emperor had no interest. He showed Shaer outside and began speaking “My allies will be here soon, and we will not have to wait very long. At best, several weeks. I am beginning the process of mustering our full forces. Gashan is making up some last minute recruitment of some pirate I am to meet this very day, along with other court business. You and your family are to attend when our allies come. They must see the entire family is united and ready.”

“I see.” Shaer bit his lip. Milo noticed that his brother was discomforted and angrily scowled at him, which made him back up. Milo was fairly well taxed with work and stress, and seeing his brother still trying to scheme his way out of even simple responsibilities had put yet another dent in the canyon that was their relationship. “Well? Something wrong brother?”

“Of course not, my emperor. Even if I told you, it would seem you would not care. I would love to come and not ruin the family unity, but alas, my dear brother I have many issues to tend with.” Shaer gave a rather fake, but convincing smile. Milo squinted his eyes and pulled at his brother’s reluctance “Issues? You and your whole family have been cooped up in the slave quarry for over a season, what issues could there even be? Those slaves are strong, broken, and my stock of tradable stone and lumber hasn’t seen any form of depletion.”

“Yes, my lord, of course. It's just that my son Kurgle you see. He is a bright lad, a strong lad much like your son Tarlo. He has been an efficient captain of mine, and has been able to work without ambition or worry for many seasons. Yet he lacks the title of a proper captain. I would request of my emperor, and beg of my brother, to grant him a good title so I may put him to better work elsewhere. You know him well, he impressed you in winter if I recall.”

Milo knew what his brother was talking about, his nephew Kurgle was in fact very bright. He was a swell talking vermin, a suitable warrior, and a proud member of his own court. When he had sent his brother away to oversee the slave quarry on Sandbeach, he had sent his family as well. Shaer may have been a brat, but to Milo, he wasn’t ambitious. His request did seem odd though. Shaer had every authority to promote and demote creatures at will, Kurgle was an excellent captain but was not taskmaster material. Kurgle had stayed with his young squire, another wild cat named Pulkan, in the court last winter season and had been very helpful and dutiful in his duties. Milo would have made him a captain then if it wasn’t for the fact he didn’t want to be seen simply promoting his family at will.

“Then I shall burden you less, my dear brother. At the next session of court, there will be several things I will address, but I will properly grant a good title to your son. Despite the fact you look like an oaf, and you are an oaf at that, you are still my brother. Remember that well.”

Shaer did remember that, his fake smile fading as Milo left for his throne. Shaer remembered that little line his own father used to deny him his proper place. You are family, and family does not damage family. You will work together, or fall together like your predecessors did. Petty ambitions of lesser beasts will always be the bane of this family. These words touched Shaer with a tingle of hate. His father may have beaten the ambition of usurping his brother back then, but he wasn’t done scheming to be the last Greeneyes standing, and if all went well today, his plot would soon be falling into place.