* Restricted as distributed
Decus IV proved impotent on his marriage to Harina, who turned to his handsomer and stronger (and more virile!) brother. When she became pregnant, Decus realised he could not be the father. Harina mocked him, revealing Leo was the father. Furious, Decus locked her up.
When the boy was born, Decus took him away and claimed he was his own. But Decus had been about the only person in the Palace who did not realise what was going on (although his advisers had tried to tell him), and he was not believed. Leo did not dare to claim to be the father, against the Emperor, but word got out.
Determined to prove himself a man, Decus decided to make Harina pregnant in her prison (to which he was the only man who had access). But she refused him, unless he first released her. Decus turned to courtesans, and when he had proved himself with them he returned to Harina and forced himself upon her. While Decus was so distracted the Empire was falling apart.
When Harina at last became pregnant with his child, Decus turned his attention back to the Empire, and engineered the overthrow of Canar. Following the Mutiny of the Army of the Western Provinces Decus returned to Valdra to see his newly-born daughter and announce her to the world.
He went to Harina's cell, leaving security lax as he was about to release her. She handed over the child on hearing she was to be released, telling him she wanted to call her Julietta. Then in burst Lascer, Duke of Omec, with a Cleric of LOFIR, both followers of Leo. They had orders to Destroy Decus and the child, take Decus' Items and free Harina.
But Leo had misjudged Lascer, who was not the sort to kill babes in arms. Instead he killed the Cleric and told Decus to flee with the child. He would say the Cleric had Destroyed the Items too, and he had killed him in punishment.
Harina, Lascer:
Harina kept the secret, for though she hated Decus and wanted to be freed by Leo, she did not want Julietta killed. Therefore she backed up Lascer's story, and Leo believed her. Decus fled into exile with their daughter, the story of whose birth was suppressed, as it suited Leo to claim the marriage of Decus and Harina was never consummated.
Marcus:
Marcus, now 6 years old, was told Leo was his true father, that Decus had locked his mother up because of it, and that the Terminati had destroyed Decus and the Sword of the Emperors - so his father was keeping the Imperial Flame, which should have been passed to him when he was old enough to wield it.
Decus:
In disguise, Decus took ship out of Valdra to Hapra, and thence for Iklaron. He said his wife had died in childbirth and he was taking the baby to his wife's parents in Iklaron. He wore a dark hood in mourning. The Sword he hid, wrapped up in his baggage.
In the Southern Sea the baby was snatched by a merman when Decus left her alone for a moment. The ship's weather-controller told the distraught father that his Elemental said the merman had not killed the child, but was taking it to the Secret Isle. Decus demanded that the ship go in pursuit, and when the captain refused he fetched his Sword and hi-jacked the ship.
When they were as near as they dared take the ship to the Secret Isle, Decus took a boat and proposed to go in with the weather-controller. The latter declined, saying he was no adventurer and did not care to risk not coming back. Instead he lent Decus his Ring, to which was bound Mistral, his Air Elemental, and he instructed Decus in its use.
Decus landed on the Secret Isle and, with the help of Mistral, soon located and took back the baby.
However the ship's captain was not disposed to wait for him and, despite the protests of Palrino the Air Elementalist, he sailed off to Iklaron, leaving Decus, Julietta and Mistral stranded on the Secret Isle.
With the help of Mistral and of Hoger (an ugly but resourceful failed experiment of LLYWELLA whom he cowed), Decus stayed independent of the sea-folk and brought up his daughter in ignorance of her origins.
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