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Andeli Castle
Castle Andeli is a beautiful castle built high on a mountain peak. It is the home of the Andeli family whose surviving members include Prince Friedrich and his wife, Princess Irene. King Claudis, the father of Prince Friedrich, previously passed and is buried in the crypt by the chapel. The Queen went to stay with her sister following the death of her husband and elected to remain there instead of returning home.
Claudis was the only child of King Andrew and Queen Elisabeth. The castle was named after them: "And" for Andrew and "Eli" for Elisabeth, thus making "Andeli." As a young man, King Claudis was known for sowing his oats in the neighboring villages. He frequented the bars and houses of ill repute in search of the happiness that money and fame could not provide.
Claudis spent a considerable amount of time with a prostitute named Frieda. One evening, Claudis went to her room and found her in tears. "What is the problem, Frieda?" he asked. The tearful Frieda then explained to Claudis that she was with child and the child was his. She explained that her brother, Wolfgangg, had knowledge of this and could make arrangements to have the pregnancy terminated. "Over my dead body!" Claudis exclaimed.
The two sat down and calmly discussed the situation and reached a decision. Frieda agreed to continue the pregnancy and give the child to Claudis after its birth. In exchange, Frieda asked Claudis to hire her brother on as the Commander. Claudis was glad to do so as the present Commander was in very ill health and was not expected to live much longer.
Claudis went home that night and broke the news to his parents. He expected them to be very angry with him, but was pleasantly surprised at their reaction. His father told him it was high time he settled down and took responsibility for his actions. He lectured him about his drinking and the type of women he associated with. "Surely, my son, this child is a blessing in disguise." His mother agreed and insisted upon making all the preparations for the baby. She volunteered to prepare the nursery and acquire all the items the child would need.
The family made all the preparations for the arrival of the new family member and waited for word from Frieda. Shortly after midnight, Frieda's brother came galloping up to the gate guard and asked him to tell Claudis that Frieda was in labor and to come immediately.
The gate guard ran to the castle and woke the Prince. Claudis dressed, mounted his horse, and rode as fast as he could to be by Frieda's side during the birth.
When he arrived, he found her brother holding the small infant, tears rolling down his face. "Where is Frieda?" asked Claudis. Too choked up to speak, her brother merely shook his head and lowered it. His body began to shake terribly as he sobbed. "My sister has passed." he sobbed. With tears in his eyes, he handed the newborn to Claudis. "Take this child...The child conceived by you and my sister. Take good care of it for my sister still lives in this child." he cried. Claudis looked at the small face and saw the resemblance to Frieda and himself. "I name him Friedrich after your sister and his mother." Claudis said. "When Frieda has been properly buried and you are done lamenting her death, please come to Castle Andeli and be our Commander." Claudis begged. Her brother nodded, turned around, and walked into the bedroom where Frieda's body laid.
Claudis mounted his horse and rode slowly to the castle being careful not to awaken the sleeping child. Upon his arrival, he handed the baby to his mother who agreed to care for it. The event proved to be the turning point in Claudis' life. He settled down and spent most of his time raising the child with the help of his family. Although he was ashamed of the relationship with the boy's mother, he was never dishonest with Friedrich about it. He explained that his son meant the world to him.
Several months later Frieda's brother came to assume his position as Commander. Claudis was thrilled as the duties had not been attended to since the former Commander had taken ill. Claudis insisted that his son's uncle move into the Commander's Tower where he could lie and watch his nephew grow.
Unbeknownst to Claudis, his new Commander was a pervert in the highest order. His hobby was spying on women at night with his expensive telescope. The Commander was a voyeur and spent each and every evening spying on those who happened to be in the path of his telescope.
Many years later, King Andrew grew very ill. The doctors said he was not expected to live much longer. Claudis and his young son Friedrich were at his side when the time came. On his deathbed, the King told his beloved wife and son that the illegitimacy of his grandson's birth had not prevented him from loving the child. He told his son that child had been, indeed, a blessing in disguise because he was the tool by which Claudis had finally become a respectable man. King Andrew told each of them that he loved them, then closed his eyes and fell into an eternal sleep.
King Andrew was laid to rest in the crypt owned by his mother and father. A small, quiet ceremony was held as the King would not have approved of anything more. Claudis then decided to build a chapel and crypt at Castle Andeli since his heart was heavy that his father could not sleep at his own home.
Following their return to Castle Andeli, Queen Elisabeth went on a journey to be with her eldest sister. She decided to stay there and live out her remaining years since being surrounded with memories of her husband was too much for her to handle.
Claudis raised his son to be a fine young gentleman. With the assistance of the knights and the squire, Friedrich learned everything a man was expected to know. He was the apple of his father's eye, and Friedrich thought the sun revolved around his father.
When Friedrich was twenty-five years old, he and his father hired some men from the village to erect a small chapel and crypt on the castle grounds. Friedrich oversaw the construction to give his father time to rest. Claudis had not been feeling well and spent the majority of his time sleeping.
When the chapel and crypt were completed and furnished, Friedrich ran to his father's room to tell him the good news. When he bent over and kissed his father's cheek, his lips met his father's cold, hard face. Friedrich wept loudly and his heart was overtaken with grief. The Commander heard the cries and came running. He calmed the young prince down and assisted him with the funeral arrangements. Although they had never been very close, Prince Friedrich began to lean on the only male relative he had left.
The Prince, Commander, and the castle servants attended the small funeral. Friedrich was openly overtaken with grief and tears. Immediately following the ceremony, Friedrich mounted his horse and rode out to a large lake in the valley. He sat down by the lake and peered into the cool, clear water. He saw his own tears falling down his face in his reflection. He stared off into space for hours as he planned his own suicide. Without his father, his life had lost all meaning.
Friedrich was startled when he heard soft weeping in the distance. He rose to his feet and walked in the direction the crying was coming from. He stood behind a large tree when the crying became quite loud. He saw a beautiful young woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes lying on the ground in a fetal position. Her face and hair were soaking wet with tears. Forgetting his own problems, Friedrich walked over and sat down beside the beautiful woman. He gently stroked her hair as she sobbed, and asked her in a soft gentle voice if there was anything he could do to help.
The young woman raised her head and gazed into Friedrich's eyes. "No one can help me, kind sir. My family has been murdered by a gang of orcs who were angry with my father. Our home and all our belongings were set afire. I have nothing left but my life, and that is worth nothing to me now." she cried.
Friedrich held the woman and told her of his father's death and his mother's departure. "I, too, am alone. I have a nice home and money, but I have no one to share my life with. Without someone to share things with, my life has little meaning also." he told her. Both of them sat in silence for a long time. "Lovely lady." Friedrich said, "One can have all the material possessions in the world. But without love, they mean nothing. I fell in love with you the moment I laid eyes on you. Please come live with me and be my wife." The young woman stared at Friedrich for a long time and thought about his proposition. She finally consented and the two mounted his horse and headed back to the castle.
When they arrived, the Prince summoned the servants to make the necessary wedding preparations. A handmaid was immediately hired to assist the future Princess with the details. The two became immediate friends and remain close to this day.
Irene and Friedrich were married in the chapel one week later. The Commander, the knights, and all the servants attended the small ceremony. The bride was a vision of beauty and she soon captured the evil eye of the Commander.
On the evening of the wedding, the Commander kept vigil with his telescope, aimed at Iren's bed chamber. When the bride and groom entered to consummate the marriage, the Commander was an unseen witness to the sacred event. Consumed with lust for the beautiful Princess Irene, the Commander found it impossible to break this nasty habit of spying on her.
Time passed and the Commander continued to spend his evenings with his telescope and the princess. Soon, he found that just looking was not enough to satisfy him. He decided to sneak into her room and take some of her clothes.
One day when the Prince and Princess were horseback riding, the Commander crept into her Bed Chamber and took her gown, robe, bonnet, shoes, and necklace. He found a hiding place for each item and he would sneak and fondle her clothing whenever the urge came over him.
The Princess soon discovered her clothing was missing when she gave her old clothes to the handmaid for distribution to the poor. She was afraid to tell Friedrich and was certain she was losing her mind. Princess Irene waits for you, the brave adventurer, to locate her missing clothing. However, the quest is not complete until you kill the orcs who will try to kill the princess. These are the same orcs who killed her family. They want to permanently silence her since she is the only witness to the murder of her family. Good luck!
Andeli Castle is located near west of Hobbitat, near Thranarack.
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