The Darkened War

Ch.1

    The young king gazed out his window, seeing the darkness that now covered a city once full of crystal moonlight. The sky had clouded over, and the glass walls of his castle were blurry with the evening's raindrops. All was silent except for the sound of water hitting the streets. He could not think of anything he hated as much as that sound--except maybe the monotonous ticking of a clock. He could barely suppress shuddering thinking on it. 
    In the month of May the sky began to cry and did not stop till late June. That quirk was one that the Kingdom of the Moon, also known as Effulgence, experienced every spring. For 21 years Adrien had lived with it, and it never changed, but there were more pressing matters than gloomy weather. After being crowned king at sixteen, his mind was already made up to protect his country full heartedly. No risk would make him waver, and no threat force him to back down. It had been an easy decision then; the first years of his rule had been peaceful. Then, unexpectedly, war had broken out. Rayland, a powerful Kingdom nearby had attacked to claim Effulgence's land for its own. At the time, Adrien had been disgusted with himself for not seeing it coming. It was not uncommon for Rayland to go after small kingdoms, and Effulgence was so close in distance that the greater shock was that they did not attack sooner. The King of Rayland, and the kings before him, never saw Effulgence as anything more than piece of land to devour, and it was far from the first, or last.
    But Effulgence fought back. The armies Adrien sent out defended their kingdom with tenacious intensity. Though trials increased, the entire kingdom understood the cost if they lost, and pressed onward: it filled Adrien with pride. Still, the incredible loss of life on a field of blood kept him awake at night and pacing throughout the day. He could not help but see this spring's darkness as a sign that nothing could change the outcome. 
    Overwhelmed by that sense of hopelessness, Adrien pulled his eyes from the glass and caught sight of his advisor, Alain. His arms were folded across his chest, and his eyes let on his pity for his king. Adrien clenched his teeth. He had become stronger and respected during the few years he'd been king that he often thought everyone had forgotten the kid prince he used to be—and many had, but Alain who had lived with him through childhood he knew could never forget. He stood by Adrien's side as advisor, and they had been friends for years before that. Adrien knew there was no use faking confidence; still, he would not be pitied by his second in command. He knew he could not hide it; even physically his anxiety showed. His knuckles were white from watching, waiting, planning and commanding, but never fighting. His hair was damp with sweat. Though others did not notice, Alain could catch if Adrien so much as breathed wrong. It made him an excellent defender, but an often bothersome advisor. 
    "Do not look at me that way," Adrien said, eyes narrowed, "If you want to pity someone so badly, pity the soldiers who are dying, or the people suffering because they have lost their loved ones. Not me, not one who has only hidden behind walls and relied on the people I am supposed to protect to keep me safe." It was a sharp response to kind eyes, but if the king was pitiful, what chance stood the kingdom?
Alain sighed, "Losing our king would destroy the people's will. The king of Rayland wants you dead. Once you are, order and authority is gone. You have no heir. If you die, Effulgence will collapse and fall right into Rayland's hands. The armies will disperse without you in control, and we both know that your decisions are keeping us alive. So stop this nonsense and get some rest. I'll save the news until you are able to deal with it."
     The statement was so infuriating Adrien almost laughed. "You know you cannot keep news on the war from your king.  I demand you share whatever you know."
    Alain paused for a minute before answering, "The King of Rayland has sent an assassin directly to the kingdom, first to spy, and then to end your life. The war has dragged on longer than he expected, and, it is no surprise he has become impatient. Thankfully, the assassin was caught and imprisoned, but we have failed to get any information. A guard was to ask you about harsher ways of getting the person to talk . . . I said I would discuss this with you myself . . ."
    Adrien refused to listen: Alain knew he was against all forms of torture. Still, his advisor pressed on, reminding him that his enemy would not hesitate to torture or kill their people in the situation was reversed. "I know you have morals, but you cannot always afford to follow them. You know as well as anyone that under pain people break. It is not ideal, but with the correct . . .. motivation, the prisoner may give us everything we need to know. I know you want all this to end as badly as I do. Rayland's king will wreak havoc in Effulgence, if he wins, we will be helpless and hopeless, and lose everything you've ever cared about. Rethink, I beg you."
    "Enough." Adrien lowered his head and paced, "Bring him to meet me. Perhaps you aren't asking the right questions. If he is from Rayland, only God knows what stories his king has told him, or what lies and false promises he has been fed."
     Alain cut him up short. "The prisoner is a girl."
    "Rayland's assassin is a girl? How interesting," Adrien paused. More than interesting, it was peculiar. In fact, Adrien had never heard of such a thing. However, female or male, they had been sent to end his life; in the end, that was what mattered. "Have her meet me at dinner, we'll talk there."
    Alain raised an eyebrow, "A formal setting? You're really going to attempt to win over Rayland's assassin? Have you lost your mind?"
    "Not at all," Adrien said, "Don't be late."
    Alain stared at him for a moment, before responding, "Certainly, my King."