Chapter 7.2: Diogenes Camna
“You shouldn’t have messed with House Camna, old man!”
A boot lands in the ribs of the persistent beggar, sending him falling backwards. The beggar wheezes, pleading for his life. You don’t spare him even a glance, running your fingers through your dark blonde hair. The wind was quite strong today.
“That’s enough, Tullus, Crassio.” You walk away from the dirty man that had tried to accost you – you were late for dinner at the manor. It seems that there were more and more of them these days, ever since the weather turned foul. You could feel it here, even as far south as Etruria.
As your two acquaintances hurry to catch up to you, one of them – Tullus - slaps you on the back. “Ah, Diogenes, buddy, ever the kind guy, aren’t ya?” You wince slightly and smile. Crassio laughs and shivers. “Weather’s really cold today. Oh yeah, you’re going off south soon, aren’t you? Would be nice to get away from this blasted cold.”
“Before the year is out. I’ve been transferred to the Foreign Affairs Office in the capital.”
“I think I’ve congratulated you before, but congratulations, again!” grins Tullus. “You totally deserve it, buddy. We’re gonna miss you.” You wonder why you are friends with them, but as you see them glaring away the scum that cross your path, you remember why. It’s a pity you couldn’t take them with you to Ankida, but maybe you would find some other people to follow you.
***
“Dio! Dio!”
That blasted, quavering voice again.
“Yes, father?”
“I dropped the knife. Could you pick it up for me?”
“Of course, father.”
Velius Camna, patriarch of House Camna. Under his kind and charitable watch, the House’s fortunes have declined, though you think that would soon change.
“Thank you, Dio, thank you. Thank the Emperor I raised you well. After Arte died… You are a good boy… all I have left…” Velius’s voice trails off before he breaks into another fit of coughing. As you leave your father’s side to go back to your seat, he speaks up again. “I hear you have been promoted to Ankida, Dio, my boy. Is that true?”
“Yes, but I might not go, father. I worry about you.”
“Oh, don’t! Dio, don’t say that, I will be fine!” laughs Velius, somewhat bitterly. “If this old man wants for anything, it is for you to succeed in life.”
You will, you think, no matter what.
“If that is the case, father, promise me that you will drink the medicine. I will be able to work better knowing that you are alright.” Hearing that, Velius makes a face. “That medicine… I don’t like it. It tastes funny." You chuckle. “Don’t be a big baby, father. It is for your own good. Do we have a promise?”
He sighs, “Of course, Dio. It is good, knowing that at the end of my life, I have such a wonderful son to care for me.”
“You are not at the end of your life, father, you have many more years to come.”
“Maybe, maybe… well, I am retiring for the night. These old bones cannot stand the cold.”
“Very well, father. I’ll bring up the medicine, as usual.”
“You don’t need to do all that, you can get the servants to do it.”
“I don’t trust the servants, father. We are House Camna. We might be powerless and poor now, but we are still related to the throne.”
“Yes, yes, I know, I’m the one who told you that a cousin of ours was married to the third princess of a cousin of an uncle of the father of the reigning Emperor. It doesn’t really make us any important, you know.”
“Still, just in case, father. I’ll bring the medicine to you myself, just as I always do. It’s a small matter to do for the one who raised me.” Fool of an old man – he has always been like this, blind to the treacheries and plots of the other nobles. No wonder Camna was in hard times.
“Such a way with words, Dio,” smiles Velius. “That reminds me, you are planning to get married to Thania, no?”
Thania Unata, of House Unata – an even smaller, insignificant family of nobles that did not even own land; they squatted on Camna lands, like parasites. Apparently the patriarch of House Unata had once saved Velius in battle, and they had been best friends ever since. You had grown up together with Thania. Though she had been promised to your elder brother Arte, since his death, the betrothal had fallen in your hands.
Well… she had already been in your hands long before that, anyway.
“Yes. After I settle down in Ankida, I will begin the preparations, but not before.”
“Oh, don’t focus too much on work, boy. Thania is a beautiful, nice girl. She was just here this morning with some pastries. You are a lucky one to have her, boy.”
You’ve stopped listening to your father, smiling and nodding as you head towards your room. The medicine was kept in there, where no servant could tamper with it. It looks like your father’s vitality was still strong… you would have to increase the dosage. It would be too late once you leave for Ankida.
As you open the drawers, a voice greets you from behind.
“Diogenes Camna. Good evening.”
You whirl around, and to your surprise a cloaked, masked man steps out from the shadows.
“You… how -“
Before you know it, he has his hand over your mouth, and a sharp, jagged knife to your eye.
“Diogenes Camna. Good evening.”
You nod calmly, and he releases his hand.
“Good evening. Who might you be?”
“Someone who has been watching you, Diogenes Camna, with great interest.”
“What’s so interesting about me?”
“Everything. Your birthplace is unknown. Your birth parents are unknown. You were adopted by Velius Camna at the age of 10. You graduated with honours from the Imperial Academy, with the highest marks in the subjects of politics and foreign affairs. Despite that, you refused an offer to serve directly with the Imperial Office of Foreign Affairs, instead opting for a posting in your hometown of Aritim, the capital of Etruria. Your reason was this – ‘I wanted to be close to my father and my betrothed.’"
Underneath that mask, you could feel that the man was grinning. He is about to continue, but you stop him.
“It looks like you’ve read up about me. Congratulations, you can read. Did you come here just to show me that?”
The man chuckles softly, the knife in front of your eye not wavering one bit.
“Just what I would expect from the man who fully understands that his father’s seat on the prestigious Council of Nobles is a wasted seat… you do have balls, Diogenes Camna, I’ll grant you that. Strangely enough, you grieved the loudest when your elder brother, Arte Camna, the legitimate heir, had his unfortunate coach accident. What a display of emotion for a man so calm, even in a situation such as this.”
“You dare!”
“Now now, no need for pretenses here. I know what is in that drawer.”
You resist the urge to gulp, and instead let a smile spread over your face.
“It’s just medicine. Now, can you tell me why you are here, if it’s not to show me that you know how to find out about things?”
“I don’t find out about things, I observe them,” nods the man, as if you have understood something. “Very well, let’s cut to the chase. My colleagues and I believe that you are a man with bright potential, and as such, we wish to offer you a unique opportunity.”
You nod your head slowly, waiting for him to continue.
“You are probably already aware of this, but the Emperor will be visiting Aritim in two weeks time. We can arrange for you to host him.”
“House Camna? Host the Emperor in the very city in which the King of Etruria reigns?” You can’t help but laugh. “Us? This is a very good joke you have told me, masked man.”
“It can be done. This is the proof.”
Reaching one hand under his belt, the masked man brings up a small signet ring. You widen your eyes when you see it – the crest upon it was unmistakable – the eternal blade, a sword that twisted upon itself and stabbed into its own hilt; the emblem of the Imperial family. It was a ring only granted to the closest family and most trusted servants of the Emperor.
“This is a very good counterfeit you have shown me, masked man,” you say nervously, but you know that such a counterfeit impinged upon the authority of the Imperial family, and was blasphemy of the highest order, and not even the great crime families of Sicilia would dare do such a thing. The man would either have to be powerful and resourceful enough to obtain such a counterfeit, or he actually had the real ring in his hand. Either way, there was a good chance that the man could carry out his bargain.
“You know it is no counterfeit, for a few reasons, Diogenes Camna. Now, we can do this for you, and I know that you have begun to believe so.” You shake your head. “It’s not a deal yet. What do you want from me, then? I see many ways for me to benefit from hosting the Emperor, but what do you get from all this?”
“The event itself is our goal. We desire nothing more than that. I will say this – you were chosen for a reason.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“You may think whatever you wish. However, this does not mean that there are no conditions, Diogenes Camna.”
“Ah, so now you name your price.”
“It isn’t much of a price. You just need to hasten the timeline of your esteemed father’s ordeal. We will provide you with the means to do so, and everything will fall into place perfectly.”
You fall silent. Just who were they? Still, an opportunity… any opportunity to meet the Emperor was not to be taken lightly - noblemen would kill and have killed for such a chance, and an opportunity to actually play host to him was something that you might not encounter even in your entire lifetime.
***
A. You accept the offer. It is too good not to.
B. You decline the offer. It is too good to be true.
Right, I'm biting. Wall of text incoming.
If you provide a theory of some sort, back it up with quotes or reasoning.
