As a new queen rises to power, the kings of Caeleste grow unrest. The Inlustris in their sights, they send an assassin to Antonella Feulune's palace, and the war is declared.
Inexperienced and filled with grief, Antonella sends off her fiancé on a t...
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"Prince Mahli of The Allicere," King Rasmus made sure of my presence. "Please do take a seat. Today we shall be discussing our attack that will destroy Potentia Flamber. Exciting events are forthcoming."
I smiled before being led by a servant to an empty seat next to Prince Linus. Bowing slightly, I took my seat, following His Majesty's orders.
King Rasmus snapped his fingers, instantly willing every brume to show the kings on our side. They sat in their respective seats, flickering every so often from the hologram.
"King Oskar, King Davian," King Rasmus began. "Our time is near."
The two kings smirked to themselves. Prince Linus chuckled beside me. I kept myself reserved, still left in the dark about the plans to demolish Potentia Flamber.
From my knowledge, I knew King Rasmus wanted to attack the royal palace. That would mean the probable assassination of Queen Antonella. The thought of her dead made me sick to my stomach, but if I had to let her die to gain the resources to help my kingdom, then I would pull the trigger myself.
King Rasmus waved his index finger in a circular motion, and a map softly grazed the surface of the table, covering it from edge to edge. As I made sense of the lines and grids, I realized it was a map of the entire kingdom of Potentia Flamber. King Rasmus snapped his fingers and multiple red marks and circles covered the map.
"Here are the potential entryways to get into Potentia Flamber unnoticed," he said. "Our strategists were hard at work trying to make this a possibility."
"What is the best way to get in, according to your strategists?" King Oskar spoke.
"Right here," King Rasmus pointed to the forest that divided Potentia Flamber and Solennes Jubar. It led to the old main road, which had a direct route to the palace. "We can march to the palace through here," he continued, echoing my thoughts.
"A fine plan," King Oskar said, "but it is way too predictable. If it were me, that would be the road I'd load up with armed soldiers."
King Rasmus laughed. "And you think Queen Antonella will have the same brain as you to defend her little throne? Please, King Oskar, remember who we are going up against: a child."
The room filled with sarcastic laughter, but I remained stoic. Perhaps she was a bit naive, but I had seen her hard at work. Maybe she wasn't at their level, but she did have power. Moreover, she had an army and a general that trained rigorously.
"May I interject?" I said. King Rasmus quieted down and bowed, giving me permission. "I think you fail to realize that Queen Antonella isn't the only one running her throne. She has a brilliant general. You may want to heed King Oskar's words."
"I'm afraid you're right, Prince Mahli," King Rasmus said after some thought. "This is why I chose you. I knew you were a valuable asset." He turned to the kings. "Any other ideas to get into Potentia Flamber?"
They continued throwing ideas left and right. It was mostly between King Oskar and King Rasmus. I wasn't sure if King Davian was all that in tune with what was happening. He stopped to comment on anything and then stayed quiet for long periods of time. He was an odd one.
"How do we get inside?" I asked, after realizing that no one was trying to find an entryway into the palace itself. Numerous plans surfaced on how to get into the kingdom, but neither of them wanted to go straight to the palace.
"Prince Mahli, we aren't getting inside until after the grand finale," King Oskar addressed me.
"What is the grand finale?"
Prince Linus put a hand on my back, chuckling under his breath. "Watch," he whispered in my ear, pointing to the map.
He waved his finger and the lines that depicted Potentia Flamber's palace floated into the air. One by one, every nook of the kingdom came to life, creating a multidimensional map. Out of nowhere, establishments and domums started exploding. Sketches of what appeared to be aerial weapons dropped into the pretend kingdom, creating a path of destruction. Smoke covered most of the buildings, and then the biggest weapon floated across the sky, right towards the palace. It struck the palace, which made an avalanche, right before it exploded.
"And that's when we'll seize the Inlustris," King Rasmus said. "Finally, we will have justice served."
King Davian clapped, staring intently at the model of the destroyed Potentia Flamber. King Oskar sat back as his figure flickered. Prince Linus let the model linger before snapping his fingers, willing the image to dissipate before our eyes. The current map came back into view.
"Potentia Flamber will be reduced to ashes, and we can rule our kingdoms the way we were meant to do," King Davian declared. The air became thick as the reality of the situation sank in. I ran a hand through my hair, trying to find something to do.
"I apologize for my ignorance, but may I ask what has Potentia Flamber done to guarantee such treatment? What is the history behind our war?" I asked. The kings and the prince gave me weird stares. It was as if they forgot I was not a citizen of Caeleste. At least, not yet.
"Potentia Flamber is the capital of Caeleste. It holds all the power through the Inlustris. We want to seize the Inlustris to divide the power evenly, as it should have always been," King Oskar explained. "Unfortunately, Queen Antonella did not agree to divide the power, and so here we are." He threw a sinister smile my way as his graying moustache pointed upwards.
"We are trying to do what should have been done from the very beginning. Flambers have always wanted to keep the power all to themselves. But we won't let them. Now with King Everit gone, we have a chance to do what's right. You are on the right side of history, Prince Mahli. Relish it."
I nodded, sitting back comfortably. They continued thinking of possible ways to get our enormous army into the kingdom. I wondered how many fatalities would occur over this war. If only Queen Antonella had given up the Inlustris as she was prompted, then there would have been less deaths.
"King Oskar, how are the nukes coming along?" King Rasmus asked, jotting down notes on a piece of parchment.
"We are just about done with the right amount of magic. While it may take a bit to smash the dome protectors, we can get in after a few tries."
"Wonderful. And the armies?"
"I may not have the most suitable army, but my soldiers are prepared to fight alongside yours, King Rasmus." King Davian nodded and shrunk a bit into his seat as his hologram flickered at the right times to heighten the sense of uncertainty.
"My army keeps growing every day. We will overrun Potentia Flamber to the ground." King Oskar sat straighter, a smirk snaking its way to his mouth.
"It seems to me like we have most of it settled. Kings, it was an honor, as always, to meet with you trying to do what is right for our land. I will remain in touch to discuss strategies and any other problem that may need our attention." King Rasmus stood up, and we followed his lead. "May we take back what was once ours and rejoice in the light!"
