Stalemate | A Rise To Power

𝘌𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘥

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The man was carelessly thrown at the foot of Landon's throne. The man wore dark green breeches and a brown shirt splattered in blood and mud, torn and ragged. Judging from the bloody cut cleaved down his side, slicing through his shirt, he had tried to run. He heaved and gasped, his chest rising and falling with each breath, blood pulsing out of his wound with every beat of his failing heart. Jax peered at the man from where he stood at the right of Landon's throne, then looked up at the guard who had brought him in.

Jasper grinned victoriously. He had a dominating presence with his muscular build and wavy coppery hair hanging to his chin, falling into sharp brown eyes, almost black. He had killed a guard earlier in anger by throwing him against the ground, but Landon still let him live no matter how much Ethelind had counselled him otherwise. Maybe Landon just liked having a guard to do his dirty work for him. He couldn't tarnish his pristine reputation by publicly interrogating prisoners and killing, so he let Jasper do it for him as a necessity. Ethelind knew Landon could take on those tasks when duty called for it, however; he could wring a confession out of anybody, and could make anyone do his bidding.

Well, except for Audrey, Ethelind mused.

Jasper glanced at Jax, who watched the dying man with unreadable purple eyes. The two men sustained a steady hate for one another, and Ethelind could feel the disgust emanating off Jax despite his stiff expression.

Grace had quickly established herself a position in court and stood close to the throne with her three ladies and her guards scattered across the castle, Gioffre and the female samurai named Akina staying closest. One of Grace's ladies had approached Ethelind during the coronation, and she had the feeling Grace had something against her by the way her steady gaze watched her and didn't make any secret of it. She discomforted Ethelind, not that Ethelind would ever show it.

"Why is he here?" Landon asked. He had been searching for news of Audrey for the past few days with no luck. She had thrown herself off the cliff into a deep pool beneath, conjoining with the River Bluston that led to the sea a few miles further east. There had been no bodies—the jump was high, but the water was deep enough to spare them. The real threat to Audrey's life was hypothermia, not the fall.

"Heard he's been bad-mouthing our king," Jasper replied.

The man coughed blood, his eyes bulging.

"Saying what?" Landon seemed to lose all interest. Ever since Audrey had escaped, he had sent some spies out for news; spies that could have been used against the West, gone for a girl with blue eyes and a sharp tongue.

"That Audrey is the rightful ruler. That Everwoods have always kept the North." Jasper kicked the man, and he began to violently convulse. Landon just watched, no emotion on his face.

"Am I the true king?" Landon asked him, disinterested.

"Yes!" the man blurted. "All hail King Landon. All hail..." he began sobbing, his voice turning croaky.

"Get him out. He is making the floor dirty with his blood," Landon commanded.

"P-please, my king, my forgiving king," the man begged, blood frothing at the side of his lips. "Give my son... he is so talented..."

"He's already been taken care of," Jasper said, leaning forward so his face was inches from the man's. "We ripped out the boy's heart while it was still beating. A handsome lad, right? So brave. He tried to—"

"Stop playing with the man," Landon snapped. "Get him out of here."

Grace pursed her lips, her grey eyes fixing on the man. She did not turn away, however, unlike Emiko, who was pale and clutching Hatsuko's hand. Terumi, the shortest of Grace's ladies but the only one who openly carried a katana, scowled at Jasper, who sneered back.