His Hand In The Shadows

Chapter 22: Change of Plans

King Lars sat in the throne room with his advisor by his side. His two sons and military commander stood before him.

"What will you do, father?" the second prince, Nicos asked.

"We must defend our borders and prepare for attack from neighboring countries."

"What attack? Have you gone senile, old man? You are the one who decided to tell the people The Renegade are foreign invaders. If you are not feeling too well—"

"The king is right," the first prince said. Everyone's attention was fixed on Prince Nassir since he did not speak up very often. "Arcus will have nothing to do with us now given our betrayal, that being said, Oldyn will grow skeptical of our alliance with them. If we were to be invaded by our allies, or even our enemies, it is safe to assume we would have no help."

The king nodded to himself furiously. "Take note Nicos. This is why I favor Nassir. He calls me 'king'. Now commander! Line the border gates with armed warriors. Swords, arrows, cannons if you have to. Get creative." His finger shot up from his side. "The weaponry division recently deemed some explosives safe for use. Have the warriors bring those as well. I want full reports on how many it kills and full details on how."

The commander struggled to speak while hiding the emotion behind his voice. "And what of the warriors who were caught, Your Majesty?"

"They were caught off their own recklessness."

The commander stood still.

Acknowledging his uneasiness, the second prince spoke up. "'What of the deal,' is what the commander tries to ask you. Won't you consider—"

"For certain I will not give them ten million."

The second prince took a deep breath and pinched his nose before he spoke again. "Why will you not give them their due pay after stealing their spell? The king provides us with an out after we illegally spied on them and gained private military knowledge. I find it a fair trade, given that our men know the full of the spell but remain trapped there."

"With the intel we had been receiving before they foolishly got captured, the research core should be more than able to decipher the remainder of the spell with what we have already."

"There is more that goes into a spell than just mere words. A spell with such results as rainfall is no easy task! It would be absurd not to take the offer. We will have our men back and we will gain full access to the spell. And! If you would be able to put your pride aside for a moment and give a personal apology to the Arcusian king, we could have the slightest chance of renewing our alliance."

"Would you prefer me to travel there by horse or by dragon? Perhaps I could request to be made his doormat while I lower my back before him."

"You are impossible! You're old and stubborn!" The prince pointed at the king. "It is full time you step down and pass down the crown."

"You would not have my throne regardless, so what is your whining?"

"Even he is a better ruler than you!" the prince pointed to his elder brother who was still standing attentively before the king.

King Lars crossed his leg over his knee. "You must sleep and dream of my death—"

"Every. Night."

"You all say not to go to war and I took your advice, did I not?" the king asked. His attention shifted from the second prince, to the first for validation, then to the commander, then his advisor by his side and back to the second prince. "Even the nobility wishes to go to war and I sided with you—but what I will not do is give that man money!"