mikrokosmos

56: THE OTHER MUST END

KING THEODORE IV

Pacing back and forth in his study, the King calculated his recent choices in life.

For years, he led Ciel Kingdom knowing there was a big prophecy about to happen in years' time.

For years, he trained his people to get ready and executed those who disrespected his reign and his family's legacy by turning against them by leaving their land.

For years, his family gave him the burden to run the Kingdom that was destined to fall.

For him, he did what he thought was best.

He strengthened his army.

He let the academies have a field training every month for students who already received their powers.

He started a peace talk with the De Villiers, who his father and grandfather had a feudal relationship with before, and kept alliances with the Noble Houses and the other Kingdoms.

He made sure that the cities outside the Capital aren't getting left out, so he travelled every now and then to check on them.

With all the years he ruled, he has only received less complaints than he expected when he was still just a successor to the throne.

As a child, he was taught that a king's most important responsibility was to establish order and keep the peace, by force if necessary. When there are lawbreakers, he will have them executed so as the people know that he follows his own Kingdom's laws and that he will never be swayed with whatever reasons the Outlaws may have. Because if he failed to follow his own rules, he would have lost his moral authority as the personification of the law.

Overall, he thought he maintained peace in the Kingdom, oversaw the administration of justice and upheld any laws chosen by the kingdom. He served as a protector of the poor as the Capital and the Noble Houses never ran out of food, and his soldiers would always take care of any misfits on the loose or the Outlanders killing the Nobles.

And yet, he was called a useless King by his own son and the woman he once loved.

The Prince.... How weak-hearted could he be more, he thought. He has always found a way to stop killings when he was not around. The King knew his son joined the army because of that but he didn't do anything just to see how far Theodore would do.

Untril he realized that his own son was protecting the Deserters, most especially that girl from the prophecy.

He knew Prince Theodore would always catch an Outlaw. He has helped his soldiers do that before. But now, he would always report that he failed to find the girl and her comrades. He would always apologize and say that he was too busy training before the prophecy happens.

Ever since the girl arrived, the Prince always had his excuses.

Then, it dawned on him that the Prince fell in love with the mixed-blooded Deserter.

For the King, loving one who's far from their standing would only hurt him in the end.

Being a King has too many responsibilities, and fighting for a loved one that many believe is not the right one for you would just ruin his Kingdom. He needed to have his subjects' approval, after all. And since he was told to marry a Sinclair, he did what he was supposed to do.

But alas, he married a Fiore.

All he has sacrificed went down the drain once he knew about the Queen's real identity.

Still, he could not tell who was the real hidden piece.

After taking his time internalizing what was happening in his Kingdom, he went outside his study to check if Astra or his son were around.