An Englishman in Castle Aincrad

Floor 33 - Chapter 3: The Circle of Hatred

Floor 33 – Chapter 3: The Circle of Hatred

Whilst Koharu headed off to find the rest of the Concord, Jet found himself amongst the crowd heading back into the court, and to say it was a strange feeling was putting it mildly.

Some of the courtiers had come up to him, even pledging their allegiances to him, should he wish to depose the whore of a queen, as they had put it, though he had quickly shut them down and explained that the situation was never as simple as they believed.

Of course, they were the first leads he had on this mysterious group attempting to kill Ronie, but those were not organised movements, nor revolutionaries who would act on impulse. No, they were power hungry fools who had seen a chance to recruit someone more powerful to their side and had failed miserably at it.

Keeping a low profile amongst the court as they all went about their duties, he had eventually found himself called into Ronie's chamber, for something she wished to discuss with him. Apparently, he hadn't kept quite as low of a profile as he would've liked there, but still...

"Sir Jet, the Arthur to my Guinevere." She smiled, the reference throwing him for a loop. She knew of that story? He supposed it fit in with the aesthetic of the floor, but still... "The kingdom owes you a great debt, handsome knight... I owe you a great debt."

"Eh, think nothing of it." He dismissed. "Just doing what any good English nutter would do." He recalled the stories his dad had told him of his great-grandfather; a man who had gone into battle in North Africa, armed with a bow and arrow, bagpipes and an umbrella.

Against the Wehrmacht and Regio Esercito, who had, you know, tanks and guns.

Not only had he survived, but the man had killed an armoured car with a bow and arrow apparently, a story they had all thought was a fun story, but not a particularly realistic one... until it turned out to be real.

"So where shall you go now? And what of Lady Koharu?" Ronie asked.

"She's gone to go find our friends. Tell them we aren't, you know, rotting in a cell somewhere still." He deflected away from the truth – that Koharu had gone to get them, should they need to fight an organised group of plotters...

"Regardless, I wish to offer you something." The young Queen told him. "I wish you to join me, not as an ally, not as an adviser... but my King."

Had he been drinking at that moment; he would have spat his drink out. "Err... I love Koharu, and I think that's going to be one I have to discuss with her!" He stammered out.

"I am not so immature as to doubt your integrity in love. I merely wish for you to be by my side as King, my most loyal knight always with me..."

A symbol of what would happen if they – whoever they were – were to cross the rule of Ronie, no doubt; the knight who had bested the monarch before ready to handle his Queen's honour...

Oh, he was stupid! So stupid he may as well have been Mister Thick, of Thicky Street, Thickleton, Thickania!

And so was his dad!

No one was (well, had been anyway) plotting against Ronie! That "circle of hatred" was to do with the queen herself, and probably had to do with what she'd said before!

Before he could ask her about that though, one of the many aides had arrived to deliver a message. "Your majesty. The traitor's family are ready, and execution is imminent..." The young man informed them.

"Excellent work. I shall be down soon."

And this was how it began – punishing the former king with unrepentant brutality, not by harming him, but harming those around him. "Ronie, I know he deserves punishment, but spare their lives. Please."