Emperor of the Dead

Chapter 1

***
Juele Fiore
November 1, 1800

"I personally don't believe in this war, Father. I do, however, agree with a few points you made. I suggest we should start with a negotiation before waging war against Tereline," Juele Fiore said, playing with the jewels on his bracelet. "Wouldn't you agree?"

King Fiore stroked his beard. He'd been in a good mood for the last five days, so he was bound to agree today before regretting it tomorrow. The king's happy days never lasted longer than a week, but his negative days sometimes lasted years. "Juele, I can see where you are coming from, but every time we tried to reach out to them, they refused to even meet us."

Jules wanted to laugh, wanted to release a demon in the room and allow it to devour every last living soul. But he'd promised himself to hold on and tolerate the war council until the war became history.

From the way things were going, it would be going into history much differently than he hoped.

"However, when you suggested I marry Princess Maya Djord, they agreed to that. Tereline must've opened up to us slightly." What the prince didn't say was: If you were planning a war long before you agreed to the alliance, why bother agreeing? Why let your son marry the daughter of your greatest enemy? To tear them apart from the inside? To use Maya as a bargaining tool?

"If they've opened up," started Sir Collinson, "attacking them is the perfect route."

"Not everything is solved with violence, Sir Collinson." Jules sighed, gripping his golden-brown hair, fixating his brown eyes onto Collinson.

For the last three meetings, Juele tried hard to waver their thought process, and in those meetings, Juele learned how to speak to old men who were days away from death. Speaking to them in their own language. Manipulation and kissing up to the king. However, speaking in their language became difficult when he was tired and agitated. "Are you willing to sacrifice our soldiers? Are you ready to tell families, 'Sorry, but since Tereline is reserved and unwilling to give us their land, we'll have to send your children to war.'"

Collinson opened his mouth to retaliate, but the king held a hand up, ending the meeting. "I believe we need some time to think things over."

All twenty war advisors bustled out of the room, leaving Jules alone with his father--his uncle, rather.

The wind rushed into the room from the window, blowing out the candles with a swoosh.

"July," said King Fiore, beckoning him to take a seat next to him. "I have to ask you something."

"Yes, King Fiore."

Juele fell into his seat, not bothering to keep his legs shut.

"July, why are you against the war?"

Juele clenched his fist, his only way to hold his hysterical laughter in his chest. Why are you against the war? "I don't want to taint Auber with unnecessary death. We should avoid massive losses of soldiers and civilians alike. This war is not in Auber's favour, especially with the castle just a few miles from the border."

"Why do you think that is? Why is our castle so close to the border?"

A trick question? Everybody in Auber knew the answer to this. "Because Tereline won our land in a previous war."

"Exactly, July. I want to reclaim that land. I want to return Auber to its glory. We used to be a country even Britain feared, but now we're one of their allies when it should be the other way around."

"Even so," Juele said, his voice raspier than before. He should clear his throat, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything but refute everything his father said. It had become his ultimate pass time. Picking fights with every willing person. "How do you plan on winning with all of our strongholds so close to the border."