Wings (Klance)

Chapter 2 - The Rebels

The main rebel leader stood propped against the wall, arms folded as he surveyed his fellow rebels. They of course were not of the top ranks, merely his most trusted underlings, those in third rank. He was a first rank rebel, the goal of tearing down the Royals had been passed down from his father to him. His father was the former leader and creator of this group and he was determined to stick to his father's goal. Kolivan would bring justice to the people and enact his revenge on the tyrants who destroyed almost all he had.

He was not about to allow one person- a prince at that, a member of the Royal Family- to bring everything he built up crashing to the ground.

Not to mention he was not the only one fighting for such a cause, thus it was not his decision to make alone. Hence the summonings of his third rank members. They sat around a table, old and worn, but they hadn't the money to replace it. Against such a foe, people were not exactly lining up to join his rebellion.

"What do you think?" Kolivan spoke, breaking the building silence. Instantly, Tiana, a hot tempered rebel jumped to her feet, slamming her hand down on the table.

"Absolutely not." She growled. Kolivan simply raised his eyebrows at her outburst. His gaze wandered over the others, silently prompting them for their opinions.

"It might not be a bad idea, having an insider could be useful, it's hard enough sneaking our own into the castle in the first place." Tristan said. "But the prince lives there. He can come and go as he pleases. It would be a massive boost in our favour."

"If he can trusted." Another rebel snorted.

Fletcher shrugged. "If he can't, we take his head and send it to the Royals as a message not to mess with us."

"And have them upping their security and crawling all over the city looking for us? I think not. As Tristan said, it's hard enough getting into the castle in the first place." Georgie pointed out. If Fletcher was brutality and brawns, Georgie was the logic.

All four in the room had spoken their opinions, none other than Tiana directly speaking out on whether the Prince should join their rebellion.

Kolivan quickly ran through the pros and cons. "Having the prince join us has both its rewards and its risks. Should he betray us, and we give him valuable information, it would deal us a massive blow. If he joins and is caught, that's both a blow to us and the Royals, discovering that one of their own could be working against them. But if he's caught, the downfall is the same as if any other rebel is caught." He could see people nodding along with what he was saying, even Tiana, despite her stubborn disposition.

He continued. "But the positives could be far more rewarding. He is a member of the Royal Family, the very people we're fighting to destroy. Nobody gets to choose their family, perhaps Prince Keith truly is against his own. He could get in closer than we ever have. He could help smuggle rebels in, he could gather information nobody else could pick up. People know him, for better or for worse they will talk to him. He'd be privy to all the loose information and the whispered conversations dropped around the castle. The pros here seem to outweigh the cons. The biggest problem seems to be betrayal,  it anybody could betray us at any time."

Allowing his fellow rebels to think over what he just said, Kolivan lost himself in his own thoughts.

Was he really prepared to allow a prince into his ranks? Could he take this risk?

Of course he could. But it wasn't just his call.

"So what do we think? All in favour of allowing Prince Keith into the rebellion?"

Two- three hands went up, only Tiana's hand stayed down, stubbornly sticking with her opinion. At least she was honest, Kolivan could appreciate that. Fletcher was a go with the flow man, so if majority hands were up, his was too. Tristan and Georgie's hands were up because they were for. Even if it was two against two, Kolivan's own vote was for allowing the prince into their ranks.

The rebel leader clapped his hands together, "Prince Keith shall now be welcomed into the rebellion."

And then Kolivan sat pulled out a faded plastic chair and sat down. "We promised him a mission tomorrow. It shall be a test of loyalty. Let's discuss what his first trial should be."

Fletcher was instantly up and speaking. "Make him fight a guard! Or kill one, or bring one here for a little interrogation of our own!"

The brute only received flat stares of disapproval.

"Or not. Y'know, whatever." He grumbled, sinking into his chair.

"How about you send him to the other rebel leaders with a message requesting a meeting? Of course, it wouldn't be an actual meeting in case he reads the note and betrays us." Tristan suggested.

Georgie instantly turned on him. "But if he does betray us, then he knows where the bases are of the others!"

"We could always send our own messenger beforehand and tell them to set up a temporary location." He shrugged, countering Georgie's protest.

Kolivan thought it over. "That could work, yes."

Georgie blushed furiously at -in her mind- being shown up. Then it was Tiana's turn to speak up. "It's still suicide. They'll recognise him and kill him on sight. I mean, we very nearly did!"

"Send an encrypted message. If it says in code who is coming, they'll not attack." Georgia spoke, feeling like she'd redeemed herself somewhat by introducing an idea to the table.

And then it was agreed.

Soon, they would know if the prince was at least least a little trustworthy.

~~~~

So, this is chapter two. *Gets smacked for that blatantly obvious statement*. I wrote this one (BTSWD).

I don't really know what to say here for once 😂. But next chapter things should really get started. Thanks to those who've read so far!

Peace,

BTSWD
Borntosingwithdrama