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Wah-wah!

"Behold! The first cry of the firstborn of His Majesty King Otto II and Her Majesty Queen Consort Beatrice Evermore on this auspicious eve of the New Year!” proclaimed the herald with great fanfare of pipes and horns, his voice ringing out through the corridors of the grand palace of Bricester. The queen, regal and serene, held her precious bundle in her arms as the entire kingdom waited with bated breath for the news of the crown's firstborn. And then, with a flourish of triumph, a long yellow silk fabric was unfurled over the window sill of the assembly room, signaling the successful birth of a girl. The city erupted in jubilation, the air alive with joy and hope, as they welcomed the new heir to the throne.

But, alas, the day that dawned would be remembered as the Day of Weeping, for the elated cry of the infant was drowned out by the heart-wrenching wailing of the child’s mother. Neither she nor anyone in the Palace could have foreseen the impending tragedy that was to unfold, nor the cruel brevity of the maternal bond she would share with her daughter.

For as the midnight hour chimed, a black hooded cloaks boldly breached the security of the palace and seized the infant who lay in the sanctity of the Queen’s own chamber. Neither the royal guards stationed outside the chamber nor the Queen’s own guardian at her side could have spared the child from the grasp of these nefarious beings.

With a piercing cry that echoed throughout the halls, the Queen’s anguish resounded. Her heart shattered into a million pieces as her child was taken from her, leaving her in the clutches of despair. Her maids, desperate to soothe their inconsolable mistress, tended to her with urgency.

In an instant, High Priest Sandalius Messala burst through the doors of the Queen’s chamber, exuding a palpable aura of darkness that suffocated the room. His eyes darted frantically around, scanning every corner with an unsettling intensity. The priest was a very old man, appearing even more feeble in his ceremonial silk robe of red and white that hung from his small shoulders and fell to the floor like crinkled drapes. Despite this, he strode towards the queen's bed with surprising strength, bearing the weight of the choshen, a breastplate embedded with twelve different gemstones, over his shoulders. Balancing on his bald head was the tall linen mitre with the golden circle of Ora embroidered on it. Notable were his unusually large and pale hands with long and lean fingers that almost looked skeletal. But it was his gaze, as cold as ice, those piercing, deep-set obsidian eyes that paradoxically exuded both strength and morbidity at the same time, leaving those who encountered him with a sense of dread rather than awe.

"Where is the child?!" he demanded in a voice that brooked no opposition.

But his authoritative tone was met with the unyielding presence of Astro, the loyal and rare tier 2 guardian who served the Queen. Towering over the High Priest, the massive white bear glared down at him with red eyes gleaming, its imposing presence sending a clear message.

Undeterred however, the High Priest tried to push past Astro, only to be met with the full force of the bear's hard belly. "Out of my way, you oaf! And must you remain in your beastly form inside her majesty’s chamber?!" The High Priest growled in frustration and turned abruptly to face the Queen. "It must be the Weemocs! Those devil-worshippers!" he exclaimed, his voice laced with fury. "I have repeatedly advised his Majesty to send his army and wipe that heathen race off the face of the earth!" His words were harsh and ruthless, and drew an immediate and fierce glare from the Queen. It was evident that the High Priest's words were troubling her deeply. "Now look at what they have done!" he continued, his voice strained with anguish. "They have taken Her Highness, the Princess, born on this most hallowed of days! Their treachery knows no bounds!" The High Priest attempted to push his way to the Queen's bedside, his face fraught with apprehension.

"With all due respect, your Excellency," Astro rumbled in a deep, commanding voice, "The Queen has just given birth, and I have been given strict orders from His Majesty himself that no one is to approach her." With each word he enunciated, Astro bared his formidable teeth, conveying his mistrust and contempt towards the old man, a sentiment gladly reciprocated by his counterpart.

The Queen's voice trembled with fear as she pleaded with the High Priest, "Oh, your Grace! I implore you to dispatch your most valiant war priests in pursuit of the kidnappers! They fled through the window at the far end of the chamber and vanished into the night! Please, you must act swiftly!" She pointed towards the window where the curtains billowed in the wind.

Without a moment's hesitation, High Priest Sandalius Messala issued swift instructions to his cohort of chief priests to pursue the abductors.

"Your majesty, I give you my word that your child will be restored to your loving embrace in no time," he assured the Queen, his keen gaze lingering on a torn piece of fabric, presumably from a maiden’s dress, on the hearth of the fireplace.

Turning to Astro, the High Priest's stern voice brimmed with accusation, "Did you simply stand idly by and allow these heinous kidnappers to snatch her majesty's firstborn from right under your nose?"

Astro's response was swift and unapologetic, "The midwife was one of the abductors. She held the child hostage, and I could not jeopardize the infant's safety."

With a disdainful huff, the High Priest turned and strode out of the Queen's chamber. As soon as he crossed the threshold, Sandalius wheeled around and hastened his steps through the throng of guards and minstrels, only to be astounded by the sight of Gerhard, one of the war priests in his black hooded cloak, lurking at the rear of the hallway, seeking to breach the phalanx of royal guards who barred his passage by walling off the hallway with crossed halberds. Sandalius motioned to the guards to grant the priest passage before swiftly beckoning him to his side and in a hushed tone demanded, “What in God’s name are you doing here?! I thought my orders were clear. Abduct the child and return to the temple!”

"Forgive us, we have failed you, my lord! Chief Priest Aithon was poised atop the rooftop preparing to infiltrate the Queen's chamber and abduct the newborn when we heard her screaming and the alarm for help. Someone else beat us to the child! We had no choice, but to withdraw," Gerhard explained regrettably.

“By heavens… This cannot be…” Sandalius’s heart sank as he muttered in disbelief. “Who, then, could have taken the child?”