End War

Chapter 12 : Throne Usurper

A man was standing in the middle of battlefield. His hair was as yellow as the light of a sun. His eyes was as brown as the wood in the forest. The look on his face showed his tiredness. He wore a white iron armor, with a flying eagle in its chest, telling that he was one of the Ivra. His right hand hold a sword with golden hilt, showing that he was the commander of Ivra's army.

"Honkkkkkk", the trumpet was blown, a sign that war was about to begin. Thousands of enemies wearing red armor and riding horses were approaching the Ivra army. The commander from Ivra with the brown eyes stretched his left hand forward. Suddenly, the enemies' armor seemed like they were squeezed by him. They became choked and fell from their horses. He raised his hand, instructing the archer to shoot their arrows into the enemies infantries. Then he streched his hand forward again. The arrows fell down faster than usual. All of them hit the enemies without a single arrow missing.

The war ended in less than 5 gusts of wind. The Ivra army don't move a single foot. After the war was over, they shouted, "Long live Ivra! Long live King Charles! Long live Commander James!". His names was James, a commander of Ivra army. Suddenly, James' chest felt tight. He was having difficulty breathing. His vision was blurry.

"Haaahhh, hahhh, haaahhhh", King James woke up from his dream. It was a dream of his past day. Beside him was his wife, Queen Alice. She asked him if he was okay. She was a noblewoman before marrying the King. She had a long yellow hair until her middle back. She had blue eyes, pointy nose, and thin lips. Her face was beautiful, showing the elegance of a queen.

"Just a bad dream like usual", the King said to his wife. At the time he had white beard and he was much older than he on his dream. Then he washed his body in a bathroom that as large as the common citizen's house. He wore a white cloth and blue robe. Last, he wore a gold eagle crown, showing his status as the King of Ivra.

King James was ready for meeting the Council. The council was a group of nobles formed to discuss royal interests. The council was formed so that the Ivra kingdom would not be controlled by the absolute power of the king as before. King James entered the room of council. The noblemans were already there. They stood up as the King entered the room. King James sit down on the King's chair, furnished by gold, followed by the other noblemans. They sat around a round table.

"Please gentlemen, start our discussion", the King said.

One of the council stood up and started the discussion "Excuse me, Your Highness. We will speak about the possibility of next war between Ivra and Exovia...".

The nobleman continued his speaking. But as the nobleman said about war, the King was haunted again by his dream. He recalled a tragedy.

He stood in the sea of fire. In the midst of the heat that burned his skin, he entered a big house. The house was burned, dripping with burning wood chips, like it was crying. There were many corpses inside it. The corpses grew the deeper he entered the house. Some of them were from Ivra wearing white armor, some of them were from Exovia wearing red armor, and some of them were from Diafroz wearing black armor.

As he went deeper, he heard a sound of crying. It wasn't the house which was crying but it was a baby who was crying. He approached the voice. He saw a baby crying on a bed covered by a red cloth with a lion on it. The sound of its crying was loud but soft. The baby had eyes that James had seen. It was like the moonlight that James used to see from Ivra fortress.

The body covered the baby was the mother. She had already lost her life. It seemed she tried to protect her baby. She died with her smile facing the baby. The army corpses from three kingdom was around them. Maybe some of them tried to protect the baby and some of them tried to kill the baby. Strangely, there were no blood in their corpses. James thought that it happened because the Gift of the mother and she died because use it too much.

Seeing from the red cloth, he knew that it was the baby of Exovia's soldier. He took out his knife, ready to stab the baby. His gaze was blank, as if he was used to it. When he would stab it, the baby was crying louder and the building was about to collapse. James immediately threw his knife, grabed the baby, and got out from the house. The house collapsed right after they left.

James hugged the baby. He cried over the baby and said "Since when I've become an evil who are used to hurt a child. I thought the war was supposed to be done to find peace. It just brings calamity to the world and I become the instrument of it". James regretted for what about he done. He calmed and took the baby.

"Your highness. Excuse me your highness", the nobleman's voice brought the King out of his reverie.

"Continue your speaking", the King asked.

"Yes, your highness. This is our final topic regarding Princess Jeanne. Thank God that she survived after we lost her in a few weeks. She would arrive at this castle this afternoon. Commander Julius will escort her so that her safety can be ensured. As for Eugene, it has been confirmed that he was one of the nobles who rebelled against the kingdom. We will investigating it further", one of the nobleman said.

"I see, I will wait her in the throne room", King James said to the council. The discussion was finished and King James was going to the throne room guarding by some men. On the way, he remembered the nobleman's words about the rebellion of Eugene.

"Is my judgement day about to come?", King James whispered to himself and recalled the big sin he had done.

On that day, he was in the battlefield camp after the war between Ivra and Exovia. Ivra was defeated by Exovia in the war called "The Revenge War". He bowed before King Charles, the king before him. He once had yellow hair just like the other noblemen but at that time his hair was already white because of his age. His hair reached his shoulder. His eyes were dark blue, spreading an aura of hatred towards elves. He sat on a big chair with golden sword laid beside him.

"Damn those pointy ears creatures! They beat us when we almost took Diafroz", King charles was mad. James remained silence.

"I won't forget what they've done to our kingdom a long time ago. They've slaved us for years. I will burn each one of them, man, woman, and child so there will be no more a threat for humankind", King Charles hated elves so much.

"James, you are my right hand. You are the Gifted who will bring peace to the humankind. Your gift can control steel, making our enemies nothing more than sacrificial goats. They even called you the god of war, just like our ancestor. Help me exterminate those damn elves, my friend!", King Charles extended his hand to James.

James was hesitated. If Ivra won the war, would it bring peace to humankind, or would it bring another calamity to them. Anger, hatred, sadness, and suffering were mixed up in his heart.

"James!", King Charles called him. Then James stood up and shook King Charles' hand.

"Stabbb", suddenly a knife stabbed the King Charles' neck from his side. James hold the knife. His hand was shaking, covered in blood.

"What have you do~", the King unexpeceted it. His eyes turned white, his mouth spat out blood, his skin turned pale. He laid his body onto James and then lost his consciousness.

"Forgive me, my King. You have been blinded by war. Even your war has taken all of your children. We musn't continue your idealism of war and peace. I think war isn't the answer of peace. We must find another solve", said James to the died King.

The King had been murdered by the enemy's spy was the biggest liar James ever had made. He succeeded to the king's throne based on closest kinship. For years, he tried to minimize the war between Ivra and Exovia. He had reduced the victims of war. But he still been haunted by his sins. When will his judgement day come was the question he always aksed to himself.

"Excuse me your highness, Princess Jeanne has arrived", a guardman report to King James. He sat on the throne chair. Beside him were his wife and two sons.

"Are you okay, darling?", Queen alice asked the King. She worried seeing the King panting.

"I'm okay, it's just my common sickness", the King answer her. He had been sick since he retired from the army and became the King of Ivra.

"Open the door!", the King ordered. Jeanne entered the throne room.

To be continued...