Heavy is the Head that Wears the Solemn Crown

Twelve - A Shapeless Storm

Wilbur

Wilbur was standing in his tent. He was staring down at a large map of the continent. There were several porcelain figurines strewn across the surface to depict where the major armies were stationed. Wilbur had spent the entire morning arguing with his generals about what their next move should be. His generals were somehow even more split amongst themselves than Wilbur was in his head. Some petitioned for Pogtopia to take control over the waterways, but this idea was shot down when they recalled that Oceania, the country with the greatest naval force, was currently occupying the river. Another idea was for them to take the mountains, but Wilbur told them to hold off on that plan until the Antarctic Empire arrived since they were better equipped for the cold climate. After confirming that they couldn't take any land, his generals were split between pushing back at the frontlines and creating a special division to do reconnaissance missions. Wilbur had called for a break after the infighting got so bad that he was starting to get a headache from all their screaming. Wilbur was the one who stayed behind to continue thinking about what he should do.

Shubble was sitting in the corner, idly playing with the figurine that was meant to represent Lilka. She had stayed close to Wilbur per his request. He much preferred having her near him than getting mixed up in the affairs of the army. Even though Wilbur acknowledged Lilka as a valuable member of the army, Shubble was not equipped to handle the peculiar ways of the military. Wilbur did not want to deal with the fallout should she accidentally offend someone. He had enough to worry about. Plus, Shubble's bright disposition made these meetings feel a little more bearable. She was too naive to actually participate, but she had enough common sense to know when the atmosphere called for a light-hearted joke.

"Lilka wants to fight Xornoth soon," Shubble commented. She placed the figurine back on the edge of the map. Wilbur had not yet given Lilka the orders to search for her prey. None of his spies could confirm where Xornoth was, and even if they did know, he wasn't too sure about sending Lilka by herself. He knew that his army would be wiped out by the demon if they went, so he needed to find some force that could support Lilka that had a chance of surviving against Xornoth. Wilbur didn't have any options. His army wasn't equipped to destroy a demon. Lilka was the only one with a fighting chance, and Wilbur didn't like leaving things up to chance. He needed a little more reassurance that Lilka was going to win.

"Apologize to Lilka for me. We have found no trace of Xornoth. The reports from my officers and my spies have not uttered a single word about some overpowering force that is wiping them out. I've seen the reports about your homeland, Shubble, but everyone is agreeing that it was an accidental fire set by a drunkard. My spies have told me that the people of Manberg believe that your people set the fire as a way of manipulating Schlatt," Wilbur explained softly. One thing that Wilbur made sure his spies brought back was news about the civilians of the enemy country. Wilbur wanted to know what propaganda they were being spoon fed. He wanted to know how he could use that knowledge to his advantage.

"The gnomes would never do that! We hold nature in such high respect! It was Xornoth who poisoned our minds and set the fire to cover his tracks!" Shubble said, slamming her hands against the table. Wilbur raised an eyebrow at her. He raised one of his hands towards the entrance, halting his personal guards from rushing in. Shubble's face flamed red as she realized what she had done. She looked between the one guard standing at the tent's entrance and Wilbur. "I'm sorry. I guess I got worked up over hearing that. I swear that I don't mean to harm the king."

"I believe you," Wilbur said lightly. All his life, he had been surrounded by venomous snakes with silver tongues, each one ready to squeeze the life out of his body for the simplest of mistakes. Schlatt was a prime example for how power-hungry the nobles could be if they were brazen. Shubble, in contrast, was nothing like that. She had never experienced politics. She didn't know how most of it worked. She had been trying to learn for Wilbur's sake, but some part of Wilbur hoped she would never fully learn. He liked having someone around him who was woefully unaware of just how important he was. He liked having someone around who wasn't afraid of his power. Shubble's smile was pure and untainted. Wilbur wanted her to hold onto that innocence for as long as she could. Let Lilka suffer the hardships of war. Shubble should be allowed to appreciate the beauty of nature and mankind. Wilbur turned towards the guard that was about to enter. "You may return to your post."