Ashes Of The Throne | Part I

Chapter 3 | Where Anger Lives

The Commander was guided through the maze of the palace, following his meeting with the Queen and Princess. He arrived at the grand oak doors that led to the garden in the middle of the ancient palace. Out of spite, the Princess had demanded to see him after the meeting.

As he stepped onto the sunlit balcony, his senses were immediately filled with the lush gardens. The pink peonies were a testament to the Queen's love for this sanctuary on the palace grounds. The warmth of the sun beat down on him, filling his senses with a rush of euphoria, something he was not used to experiencing.

A soldier interrupted his moment of tranquillity, announcing his arrival to the Princess.

"Your Highness. Commander Skarsgard." 

Madison disregarded the soldier's announcement by flipping away her communication device, and as he turned to leave, she kept an eye on the Commander as he approached her. Despite his presence, she turned her back to him and descended the stairs into the serene Queen's Garden.

The garden was a source of comfort and peace for the Queen, surrounded by fragrant flowers and greenery. Madison, along with others, had observed the decline in the Queen's well-being over the years. In her view, figures like the Commander, who urged their Academies to perpetuate a war-like mentality, only contributed to her aunt's worsening condition.

The Commander had met her on the same level, and his righteous speech began, the very same one that irked her so whenever she heard him speak. The one where she would have ordered him banished from this world and those Academies dismantled if she were the crowned Queen.

"Your Highness, what can I do for you today?" He asked emotionlessly, like the heartless soldier she perceived him to be. "I was surprised you requested my company, given our last meeting."

"Your idealism of this war. What you believe needs to happen. It seems I am the only person with enough courage to call it for what it is!"

"Which is?" the man asked calmly, unfazed by her outburst.

"Commander, you are preying on the weak." Madison refuted.

"Commander, you're exploiting the vulnerable," Madison countered.

"Interesting," he replied with a hint of amusement. "Care to elaborate?"

"These people have been ill-suffered with turmoil, and you exploit their emotions in funding terrorism of those bases to control these worlds. To seek havoc on a witch that is most likely dead because you are filled with a need to serve a purpose."

"Which psychologist taught you this? Esmeralda or John? I must commend them on their improved definitions of grief and war," the Commander said, struggling to hide a smile that Madison noticed.

"Your humour is inappropriate given the gravity of the situation. When this war arrives, individuals like you will face severe consequences for your involvement."

"The war has been brewing for longer than you are willing to acknowledge, Your Highness. Our soldiers on the frontlines have confirmed this. Ezra may have been unseen for the past several years, but her devoted followers continue to wreak havoc, controlling the eastern border and the monsters and barbarians there. War is inevitable, and we are preparing for it. Our soldiers understand this purpose, as do the Academies, who have been trained for this. The council supports us and this is why our funding is increasing, as your mother understands. Why don't you?"

"I believe in a different cause, one where people don't have to die. This war is pointless, Skarsgard, and you're sending us to it all for your own ego and place in this world. Your soldiers are mere puppets, fulfilling the dark part of your soul that craves bloodshed." Madison was resolute in her stance.