The Reformation Wars: Beginning of the End

Chapter 3

King Manfred sucked in a deep breath and entered his living quarters, a cozy space he shared with his wife, Queen Katherine, who much preferred to be called Kate. Their lavish bed divided the room in half between them, so on one side was Kate's delicate but large desk, with plenty of quills, ink, and parchment for the frequent writing she had to do. On a series of wall pegs above the desk hung Kate's bow and a quiver of arrows, relics from a time of war for Monterayne and youth for her highness.

Then on the other side stood Manfred's desk, much smaller in size, but very sturdy in appearance. Their bookshelf stood to one side of the desk, and on the wall above it, he displayed his handsome sword, a lengthy weapon with a blade riddled with nicks and scratches from years of war and terror. To Manfred, it represented a simpler time, but also a tumultuous one.

He paused before stooping down to pull out an oak chest from underneath the bed. Manfred laid it on top, undid the brass clasps, and laid Dustin's sword inside with a deep sigh. He stepped back and eyed the pristine blade, which Dustin admittedly had maintained very well. A little ray of sunshine shot through the nearby window lattice and gleamed on the metal, highlighting its cleanliness.

Manfred's mind churned as he stared at the confiscated weapon. He further pondered his decision to deprive his son of his sword in order to teach him a lesson on responsibility. He wasn't having doubts; he was well assured he hadn't erred, but rather, he wondered if Dustin would learn the intended lesson through this, or only come to resent his father for it.

Dustin had already been rather outspoken about Manfred's insistence on not poking the lion that was the Innutukian Empire as king, even though he'd been at the forefront of Monterayne's fight against the beast as a younger man. Dustin had made it clear he saw that as a deplorable contradiction inn his father's character. And now, Manfred wondered if Dustin would interpret his taking the sword away as a symbolic action indicative of his entire character.

"Having second thoughts?" a feminine voice called from the doorway, followed by the gentle thud of the door shutting.

Manfred immediately recognized the voice as Kate's, so he turned to embrace her and leave a kiss on her rosy lips. She was no longer the young maiden he had originally fallen in love with, but nonetheless, she was a woman who aged well. Sure, her silky brown hair had faded somewhat and become interspersed with a gray strand here and there, and her lovely green eyes no longer sparkled quite as much as they once had, but at her core, she was still the same woman Manfred loved. Her kind smile hadn't aged a bit, and neither had her charming personality and strong character.

"No," Manfred finally replied, "no second thoughts, just...I hope I'm wrong about Dustin."

"How so?"

"He inherited your hard head." Manfred remarked with an understated smile, "He's a selective learner."

"You think he'll persist despite your discipline?"

"I do. What do you think?"

Kate smiled sweetly and reached up to lay a hand on her husband's broad shoulder. "What I think is that he inherited your dedication to personal convictions."

"How so?"

"Well, when you come to a conclusion on something, I've observed you always have good reason to do so, so budging you from there after the fact is a monumental task. Now, whether Dustin has the same good reasons for his convictions as you do for yours or not, I believe he shares that same stubbornness."

Manfred slowly nodded. "I guess I can see what you mean. As heir to the throne, he most certainly should have a healthy firmness about his beliefs. My point of contention is that those beliefs are flawed in his case, and wrongful actions spring from that root."