A Happy New Year with the Royal Cousin, Eric von Rothe.

“Shh… you trying to wake the entire palace up...” Eric whispered to the servants as they struggled to quietly carry a large object through the royal palace passages.

“M’lord, why again are we doing this at this hour?”

Eric quietly moved ahead and looked down another passage before turning back with a sigh.

“Because it wouldn’t be a surprise if he knew about it beforehand… Now hurry up I have the passage clear for a few more moments”.

*It was the small hours of the night when Eric and a few servants arrived at the King of Tyria’s bed chamber door, with them a large object that stood over 7 feet tall. The large object was placed just in front of the door with care close enough to be in the way, but not block the way out. The royal cousin examined it from several angles before grinning ear to ear and waiving the servants off. Shortly after he too meandered off to his own nearby chambers to get some sleep.

As morning arrived, Eric slept soundly until he was awoken by shouts from the palace guards and he couldn’t be sure, but he thought his cousin Archibold’s shouts where in there as well.*

Eric smiled and said to nobody in particular

“Happy Holidays, I hope you like your present”.

A gift fit for a King, from the skilled hands of a taxidermist a large bear stood on hind legs with an expression so real, even knowing its fate, the mind would still doubt.

The King of Tyria would open his bed chamber door to find his gift waiting to greet him.

Happy Holidays to everyone in the CoE Community!