From the Ballroom of the Royal Hotel in Parys today, King Corwin announced his engagement to Princess Dara Helgram, who already is the mother of three of his children.

“The tides of fortune once more washed this beautiful woman into my path, and this time I was not about to let her drift away again.” said the King, as he proposed a toast to his new fiance.

“I was visiting so the we could commiserate each other after the murder of our son Merlin, and we just realised that there was so much more that we could yet do together. It is a wonderful light born out of darkness.” said Dara, in an interview with the Parys tribune.

A date has not yet been confirmed for the wedding – a situation perhaps complicated by the inexplicable localised storm that destroyed the Royal Palace of Versailles recently, forcing the entire Royal Family to relocate to hotels in the city of Parys, while rebuilding work takes place.

At court today in Thelbane Palace, King Mandor performed the expected investiture of his bother Jurt, the head of the Logrus Defence Force as the new Head of House Sawall, confirming upon him the title Duke of Sawall, and the lands of Sawallways. He also confirmed a five year tax exemption for House Sawall, to allow them to focus investment on the rebuilding of Sawallways.

In a speech given afterwards at a royal banquet in honour of the investitures, Jurt welcomed those with Sawall heritage who had fled the House during the uncertainties of the recent conflicts to return now to the House and be part of it’s new age, as it moves forward with the rebuilding program.

However, following on from the investiture of Jurt, an unexpected second investiture took place, as King Mandor announced the creation of a new Major House, to be called House Victarion, and invested Victor Roberts as its first Duke, and Head of House.

The King also granted the lands of the former Barimenways to be the home Ways of House Victarion, and confirmed that he would be sympathetic to the possibility of a tax exemption, depending on the outcome of the initial surveys of the lands in question.

Princess Dara Helgram welcomed the news of her son’s new House from the Royal hotel in Parys where she is currently staying, saying “I am so pleased for Victor – I had been quite concerned about him.” It is assumed she was refering to the fact that Victor’s whereabouts had been unknown since the battle of Thelbane, when Bleys of Amber’s invasion of Thelbane was defeated by the armies of House Hendrake.

The whereabouts of Prince Bleys, Lady Gilva Hendrake and Lady Damara remain unknown at this time.

While the rumours and speculations regarding the death of Merlin were still hot on the presses, bugles sounded and the flag of Victor Roberts, first born son of Princess Dara Helgram, was run up the flagpoles, and Bleys’ army began it’s advance on Thelbane.

Moving on two fronts, Forces marched out from both Jesby and Sawall lands, and the citizens of Thelbane City began to barricade their homes and close their businesses. Some of those who could flee were gone in an instant, and others chose to stay and defend what they could of their property as war came for the second time in recent years to their doorsteps.

By the time Bleys’ army had reached the city, there was already an unexpected surprise awaiting them. In the last minutes before they drew up to the walls, the Citadel gates were flung wide, and the massed armies of House Hendrake marched out in close order, led by Field Marshall Duchess Lintra Hendrake herself. The Hendrake forces moved quickly with a decisive plan, and soon had divided into smaller units that occupied the cardinal points, then smaller again until the city had a full and complete garrison of Hendrakes at all points.

Then bugles sounded once more, and it became clear that Mandor was not content to have his allies sit and wait for Bleys to advance. The armies sallied forth and the plains outside Thelbane city and alongside the Abyss rang with the clash of steel on scales and the cries of the wounded and the dying.

Meanwhile news came from the backfield that further rearguard attacks had been launched by Hendrake forces directly against the Jesby and Sawall Houses that Bleys had left staffed by those of his army that could not move fast enough to keep up with his blitzkrieg attack on Thelbane city.

Thus ended the Thelbane civil war. The fates of all of the individual members of the former Merlin coalition are not yet clear, but the day was without doubt won by Lintra Hendrake and her allies. “They knew what they were facing. I had told them that the Earl of Walsingham had brokered my negotiations with King Mandor” said Lintra in a short interview with TNN contract reporter Kate Adie. “They had the option of time for the diplomats to talk. They decided to try and throw a fast ball instead. They must have forgotten that the Earl can open Trump gates in his sleep.”

“It is with deep sadness and regret that I must announce the death of King Merlin of Thelbane, earlier today. He appears to have been subjected to a debilitating arcane attack which breached his magical defences.”

“Members of his family and colleagues here are obviously shocked by the sudden end to such a brilliant and inspired leader and inventor. He will be sadly missed.

“We will be observing two minutes silence in memory of Merlin at green sky tonight.”