Kinghood

Prince Jameson finds himself tested. As commander of his father’s army, he has been charged with repelling a raiding force to the north of their island nation, Marland. Yet upon arriving at the landing site and scouting the enemy, the Prince discovers that the opposition – a barbarian force from the rogue confederation of Lewmar – is much larger and better equipped than he had ever imagined.
Outnumbered and facing the prospect of being overwhelmed, Prince Jameson mounts a daring plan to bait and trap the enemy. The audacious scheme works, securing the safety of the island while proving the mettle of the young prince.
Prince Jameson returns to the capital, Arcporte, victorious. Upon his arrival, he is welcomed by his father, King Audemar of Marland. The king throws a lavish banquet in his son’s honor. All seems to be coming into place for the young prince.
Until he ventures underground to Terran.
Terran. A labyrinth of tunnels and caverns beneath Arcporte Castle. It is there that the prince, whose birth name is Symon, returns to give a report of the week’s events to his identical siblings.
Symon and his three brothers – Dawkin, Ely and Gerry – are quadruplets alike in appearance yet different in personality. Together, they serve their kingdom under the guise of one royal, Prince Jameson. Among the four, Symon is known as the warrior, Dawkin is the scholar, Ely the romantic and trickster, while Gerry is considered the runt of the litter. Since birth, the identity of the four has been kept secret, with each rotating to appear in the kingdom above for a predetermined period. Such an arrangement has allowed the four to grow and develop unscathed through their princehood so as to prepare for the day when they must rule in their father’s stead.
Their skills – particularly in diplomacy – are put to the test when King Felix and his court arrive in Arcporte for the signing of the trade agreement. In the ensuing days, the four brothers take their turns meeting Felix and the rest of the Ibian court. During this brief period, tragedy strikes when King Audemar falls ill during trade talks. Later, it comes to light that the king was poisoned. The Saliswater brothers hold out hope for his recovery until a second assassination attempt – right under their noses in the family castle – finally claims their father’s life.
With two assassination attempts within days of each other, and one succeeding, nobles from near and far begin to question the competency of Prince Jameson. The Saliswater brothers scramble to secure the support of their domestic allies while working to assure King Felix and his family that they remain safe. Their efforts are strained further when reports arrive in the capital of another Lewmarian raiding party landing on the northern shores of Marland. The latter incident prompts the country’s assembly of Marlish nobles, the Conclave of Barons, to call a special session into order so that they may determine the fate of Prince Jameson’s claim to the throne.
As such problems demand unilateral responses almost simultaneously, the brothers are faced with hard choices on what to do. After much discussion, the Saliswater brothers agree on a course of action they were encouraged since birth not to take: to have more than one ascend at the same time.