Chapter 9: 7:

Lord Arthur’s POV

I turned back and closed the door leading
into the king’s personal chambers behind me. As I turned back to face the king
only to be met with a goblet of wine from the king’s hand. I turned my sight of
view ever so slightly to see the king’s wine bearer standing behind the king
holding a tray which had three jugs on the them, the cups were already in the
king’s hand probably also filled with wine.

“I’m sorry my King, but I must decline”

“Oh, but I insist” he replied pushing the
cup closer to me.

It would be an understatement to say that
King Andreas had trust issues but I guess having a court full of people that
are immune to truth-seeker magic doesn’t exactly help matters. I took the cup
and drank all the wine in the cup in one gulp.

“Wine Bearer, another” he called to the
wine bearer. He intended to make me drink to stupor.

Several hours later…

We were both drunk

I sat on a soft cushion, barely able to
keep my eyes open or even stand upright. But the king didn’t look any better,
in a matter of moments, he vomited all over the floor causing me to erupt into
an abrupt laughter.

“You know” I began before I hiccupped “One
day, you’re going to have to trust me when I’m not drunk” I said groggily

“That will be day” He laughed and we both clinked
our cups together.

“You were awfully quiet during today’s
court hearing” he continued

“Aren’t I usually?” I asked back before
drinking more wine “They’re usually so boring”

“But not today’s own”

“Yeah, Caspian’s stunt is really going to
make my job a lot harder”

“Lord Arthur, the sloth king and keeper of
balance, you sure a busy mam” he said in a mocking tone as he dropped his cup
on a glass table that separated us.

“It’s not like you’re making my job any easier”
I replied before keeping the cup back on the table. Shit, this is why I
hated getting drunk

There was a brief silence that engulfed the
room as we stared at each other. He waved to the wine bearer to leave the room
and at a moment’s notice we were alone.

“King Andreas…”

He made a pause gesture stopping me in my
tracks

“You know you can call me Andreas, After
all we are childhood friends” he said with a shy smile. It’s been such a long
time that I’ve forgotten that myself and King Andreas used to be childhood
friends who played and ran amongst the halls of this same very Pagoda Palace.

We’ve changed and lost so much since then
that time that it’s hard to believe that we were the same boys who used to play
pranks on the maids, cause chaos in the hallways and skip out on lessons oh the
days of ignorant bliss.

“Notwithstanding, you clearly have your
concerns and now you have the floor to air them unfiltered”

“What exactly happened in the royal Court?”

.....

“I can see how that offer was difficult for
you to pass up” I said as king Andreas finished recalled the events of
the royal Court to me.

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” he
said jokingly as he slightly punched my arm.

“It means, Sire that you have trust issues”

“I do not have…” he began before I gestured
to the three empty jugs of wine.

“Okay maybe a little” he said as we both
chuckled before entering another uncomfortable silence.

“I still feel like you should have given
him some lashes and sent him on his way”, “But if your suspicious are to be warranted,
it would be wiser to have him closer to the palace but royal advisor?”

“He made a compelling argument” he argued
back.

“Besides, I thought you would be glad with
my decision, it would certainly make your job easier”

“How so?”

“I take it that the other Lords didn’t take
the news too well”

“So? ...”

“So now they have something in common, they
have someone they hate”

“You?” I asked back

“I was referring to Alaric”

“You even know him by name” I scoffed “not
sure they would see it that way, Sire”

“Then make them see it that way!” he yelled
before shifting and regaining his composure, he might be king now but he always
did have a temper “We can’t allow the Lords to have a reason to dispute…”.

“So, you wish to make him a sacrificial
pawn? For the peace of Valencia?”

“And what a great honour it will be for
him, a man who ought to be hung for his transgressions to be the reason for
peace”

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I could see the revolt in his eyes. He's
making it look like he's doing this for the benefit of the kingdom but there's
more to what happened in that in that court.

It wouldn’t matter in the end. The Lords of
Valencia are ruthless to anything that tries to oppose them, be it rock,
animal, man or child will be destroyed and a commoner becoming the royal
advisor’s basically the most powerful figure in Valencia after the royal family
was certainly an opposition.

None more so than myself, I’m the worst of
them all, I’m blood thirsty spiteful and vengeful and they all know it. The
only difference between me and them is that all I just strive for the barest
minimum, peace. That’s why the other Lords haven’t fought since I became the
head of the Audorne family. However, I’m afraid that even I won’t be enough to
stop the repercussions of Lord Caspian’s actions.

Someone needed to receive the blunt of the
wrath of the Lords and better it be a commoner than a fellow Lord of Valencia I
suppose.

“He would have to be one formidable enemy
to make them forget about Lord Caspian” I replied after giving it much thought.

“Would I be able to leave that you?”

“You want me to play both sides?”

“Don’t you always?” he asked rhetorically
“You should be called the Lord of Snakes” we both laughed at my expense.

“This was truly wonderful my Lord but I
must be on my way” I said as I looked out the window and saw the night sky.

I stood up from the cushion and briskly
began walking to the door.

“Arthur” he called out.

“Yes, my king” I said as I kept my hand on
the handle of the door, not turning back to face him.

“Is there anything else you would like to say?”
he asked seeing right through me.

“No my Lord” I responded as I quickly
opened the door and headed out.

I headed out of the palace and just beyond
the stone steps, I saw my carriage and my foot men. In no time, the carriage
began to move and I watched as the palace faded from view from the window.

I slid back into the seat and sighed. It
was obvious that King Andreas saw right through me, lying definitely won’t help
his paranoia. He has to get me drunk before we have a conversation just make me
loose lipped, who knows what he may do next? Maybe result to drugging me.

I laughed recalling the events in his
chambers, never would I think that Andreas would become a schemer like all the
nobles, Royals and kings before him. It suites him but the thing about scheming
is that you have to get your facts right before acting and King Andreas
certainly has his facts about Alaric wrong.

Alaric purposefully committed treason to
get thrown into the noble Court, at first it didn’t make any sense but when he
called for the royal Court it started to add up.

 If Alaric
was already aware of the royal Court he could have pleaded for it the moment he
was captured, but he waited till the noble Court was in session and once a
court case has been started, it cannot be suspended.

It may have taken more than one hearing but
not entirely suspended. By pleading for the royal Court when the Queen was
visiting her sister and the crown prince and princess overseas, he could get a
one in one with the king. From there it was just about playing on the king’s
hysteria.

Alaric isn’t a pawn in any mastermind’s
game and I intended to prove it. As my carriage rode down into my province, I
closed my eyes and let the fatigue of the day take over.

….

The carriage came to an abrupt stop jolting
out of my seat and almost unto the floor if I hadn’t steadied myself on the
door handles.

“What is the meaning of this?” I yelled as
I heard the footsteps of my carriage man walking towards the side of my door.

The door swung open and I saw him a messenger,
pale as snow, nearly scared to death. He handed me a scroll with a seven-sided
star, the symbol of the Daren Magic Academy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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