“Caryn, I don’t know what to tell you, I will speak to him,” Orion said to the young princess, he too seemed to be greatly wrestling with the consequences of what his brother said.

“Please do, I cannot marry anyone but you,” Caryn said through tears, she felt as though all she had done recently was cry. Her life was crumbling like a sand house against the ocean’s waves and there was nothing she could do to stop it from all from just falling apart before her very eyes.

The dinner was still going on, many speeches continued to be made in the honor of the late King. People spoke of him as if they admired him, but really deep down it would seem he was despised by the nobles. Lana had heard enough of fake sympathies from nobles and she decided to spend her night getting things done. The first task on her mind was speaking to her Uncle.

Jack Dimmock was an interesting man; he was the oldest of the Dimmock children in King Henry’s family. He was the only one left standing after all these years. One might think Jack would have some claim to the throne, but he had signed that fate away years ago when he decided to abdicate the crown and sail the dark seas of Cartanin to live a dangerous trade. It was the worst kept secret in the Kingdom that Jack Dimmock, the old, hardened prince was a pirate. The man in his mid-fifties had never been married and he seemed to have no wish or desire to be anyway. He became a pirate and has lived his life well by darkening every port in Cartanin with the shadow of his infamous ship the Enchantress.

He had of course come to partake in the funeral of his nephew as he had done earlier with his brother and nephew. He was still a Dimmock after all. Lana approached him knowing full well that he would receive her, she was his favorite niece. Jack had a heart for the outcast and it seemed Lana fit that bill to perfection in Jack's eyes. 

“Lana, my dear,” Jack said lovingly, he embraced his niece.

“Uncle, it is good to see you again, although I do wish your visits were for better things,” Lana admitted sadly.

“Yes, I must agree with you there, I should visit more often and our lack of good fortune is great as a family,” Jack replied with a sigh.

“Ah, I am aware of that curse you speak of, I’m afraid the news continues to be bad," Lana almost chuckled. It was an inside joke at this point of a fake curse that was total folklore about the Dimmock Family. 

“What news?”

“I know what killed Marcus, rather who planned to kill him and had it done.”

Jack looked about the room before responding, no one was paying any mind to the two of them, “what do you speak of?”

“Duke Saber plotted against Marcus and he plots still against Jasper with Seth Quinwellion.”

“You are sure of these things?”

Lana nodded quickly.

“Something must be done; I feared this to be true.”

“What shall we do?”

“I do not know.”

“What do you mean you do not know, you are only option Uncle, it’s either this or loose the throne.”

“Look around Lana, every family here wants the kind of power that the Dimmock Family has had, this is not new. Our blood that runs through our veins is hated blood, that fact will never change.”

Lana gulped, the gravity of the situation got heavier and heavier.

“Caryn believes that Jasper should abdicate to save his life,” she blurted out.

Jack chuckled, he looked over at Jasper and he seemed to capture the feeling of himself in the light of Jasper’s eyes. The two remaining males of the Dimmock family from two separate generations following similar paths was intriguing. But he also chuckled because he knew something, Jasper was the first he had spoken to once he arrived in Garhanna. 

“It’s too late Lana; your brother has already made that decision. He will abdicate in the morning; there is nothing to be done because by tomorrow Duke Saber will be King.”