The Union

And yet they were waiting outside like how a child would wait for playtime. They were like beggars waiting for free charity food. These people were the wealthiest of Vanadis, Castonia and the neighboring kingdoms but they waited nonetheless. Such was the case if the Queen of Vanadis and the King of Castonia were the ones who arranged the ball- a ball known far and wide to be the most extravagant in recent memory. It was still early- too early. But most of the guests wanted to be early to see or, if they were fortunate, talk to the fabled King and Queen of the Union Alliance.

The clang of the bells signified that it was time to open the gates for visitors. Everything was prepared. The servants, decorations and food were ready. The gate rose upward, opening the way for the guests to pour inside the palace.

Timothy was standing beside Lucia in front of the great hall of the palace. The great hall was large- several times larger than the great hall of his own palace in Nirvana. The guests occupied the seats and filled the hall. Occasional gasps can be heard from them. Timothy understood how they felt. This was also the most extravagant ball he had ever attended. But all of these costed the crown a lot.

"Fifty thousand gold coins" Timothy said with a half smile "I could have hired several companies of mercenaries for several months with that amount. And yet you are spending fifty thousand gold coins in just one night. You Vanadians really know how to arrange gatherings"

Lucia smiled. She looked so pretty tonight that Timothy was lulled for a bit just by looking at her. Her hair was lined with gems. Her dress was made of first-cla.s.s silk, tailored to match her beautiful body and complexion. He felt his heart throb and his face heat up.

"First of all, it"s not just me who"s spending. Our treasuries are linked. Second, this night will be talked about for generations to come. Do you want them to write about how bland the food was or how low cla.s.s the wine and other beverages were? Do you want them to gossip how we used the same decorations from the last ball? We need to awe them. Reputation is hard to build. Everything must be marvelous like the blooming of flowers in spring. Everything must be perfect like..." she looked at him "you"

"Uh what?"

Lucia"s cheeks shaded a blush. She held firmly on his arm "Nothing. Let"s just enjoy the night. There"s nothing to worry about I suppose?"

"Everything is under our control Your Majesty. Leave everything to me. Erik and Captain Bisham are already in position"

"Then shall we begin? Most of our guests are already seated"

Timothy looked towards their front. Only seldom late-comers were arriving in small groups. He nodded.

Lucia stepped forward. The sudden movement from the Queen drew everyone"s attention.

"Greetings honored guests. Some of you traveled for days just to come here. Some even crossed the sea. I welcome all of you to Holm. It brings us great honor to have you here. Now to formally start this celebration, my husband, and King of Castonia, would like to say a few words"

Timothy matched Lucia"s position. He coiled his arm around her waist. He smiled before talking.

"Has anyone heard about the tale of the spider and the bee? Some of you may have. For those unfamiliar with the tale, it goes like this. One day a bee and a spider became good friends..."

**********

"...the spider spun its web to give shelter to the bee while the bee would sometimes bring the spider honey from its nest"

Admiral Veno"s voice boomed in his flagship. His fleet of patriots were hidden in the night. The sailors in his flagship were listening to his tale. It was the tale of the spider and the bee- a story told to him by his brother a long time ago. Now he was retelling the ridiculous tale to his men.

"The friendship lasted for a while until the other small animals grew jealous of their prosperity. The others tried to separate the two but the spider and the bee stubbornly refused to break their bond. As a result they were attacked. The first ones that attacked were the ants. With strong mandibles and numbers, the ants would surely destroy the spider and the bee. But the bee carried the spider up in the air. The ants couldn"t reach them. In the end the ants gave up. But then the mosquitoes attacked. There were so many of them and the bee cannot stand their attacks. The spider, thinking for the well-being of its friend, spun its web. The mosquitoes were trapped and both of them again survived. The lesson...."

*********

"...Is that we all have our weaknesses. We are weak alone and we need to find others to fill our weaknesses. The spider survived because it found someone who can fly. The bee survived because it found someone who can spin webs"

Timothy continued his tale in front of the guests. His voice echoed and all their eyes were on him. He looked at Lucia before he continued.

"Castonia and Vanadis both face crises of their own. Both Kingdoms have its own weaknesses and both Kingdoms need each other to survive. The Queen and I have decided to link Castonia and Vanadis into a single powerful and united Kingdom. For now we only have an alliance- a strong alliance as unbreakable as our marriage. But in the future, Castonia and Vanadis will truly be united under our heir. Just like the spider and the bee we will triumph against our enemies. We will survive. Because we are united!"

**********

"...Or at least that"s what a fool would say. They would say that the spider and the bee survived because they worked together. I tell you lads, that is a lie. The other animals would have never attacked them if they didn"t form a bond. It was because they are together that they faced attacks!"

Admiral Veno continued his tale. His men"s breathing became heavy. He could see that they were boiling with anger. They were patriots like him.

"The Union will save both our Kingdoms? Ridiculous! Castonia is the one dragging Vanadis into wars! Now we are at war with six other nations because of Castonia. And the Queen is too blind and weak to see that Timothy Castonia is using her- using our nation for their benefit. This must stop. I feel your rage. I feel your anger. We have been wronged. We have been betrayed by our very Queen. For that, we must fight"

He tugged his hand behind and looked up to the flag of Vanadis hoisted in his ship.

"Raise the sails and raise your swords! We will take back Vanadis tonight!"

"Aye!" his men shouted with fists in the air.

In a few moments his fleet started to sail towards the harbor of Holm.

**********

After speaking, Timothy sat beside Lucia. The two of them were at the front with their own table.

The music was superb. The musicians they hired were the best after all. Sweet and unique tunes danced in Timothy"s ears.

Their guests were enjoying themselves. Delicious food were served and dancers and bards were doing their craft with expertise. Some people were conversing with each other. Some opportunists were trying to talk to him and Lucia. Others just enjoyed what entertainment was provided to them.

A clang of spoon hitting a goblet was heard. Everybody turned their eyes to Edmund Vanadis.

"Dear guests! This ball is a celebration of the union between Castonia and Vanadis. The monarchs of the two kingdoms are right there!" Edmund pointed towards them "This night is all about them. Their union will bear a stronger future for all of us! But I can"t help but feel that the music is so fine. The atmosphere is just right. Who among you wants to see the Queen and the King dance?"

"Aye!" The guests raised their goblets in unison. The hall was filled with excited chattering. The center was cleared and the musicians prepared their tunes.

Timothy looked at Lucia. He had never danced with her before. It would be a shame to pa.s.s on this opportunity.

Lucia also looked at him. She gave a slight nod to indicate her approval. Timothy opened his palm towards her and she rested her hand on it.

Both of them rose from their seats and stepped forward into the center of the hall. Eyes were glued on them. The music started and they turned to face each other. Holding both her hands, he stepped forward and she stepped back. They started dancing into the tune.

**********

They reached the harbor without incidents. His men started to disembark.

As Veno walked in the cobbled harbor, he adjusted the strap of his armor. He ensured that he was prepared for the a.s.sault.

His men rushed like ants in the darkness. They were crouching and hiding. There were thousands of them- thousands of patriots just like him.

The storage of h.e.l.lfire was just a few hundred steps away. They crept closer with their heads lowered.

Veno then saw the guards. There were only a few of them- not even a hundred. They were guarding the h.e.l.lfire from intruders. But Veno and his men were not intruders. They were the owners of the h.e.l.lfire for they are the true Vanadians.

A shout was heard and a horn of alarm was blared. Veno cursed. They guards must have spotted them. It was too early. But they had no choice now. They must attack in haste.

"Go!" he shouted.

His men rushed towards the storage. With cries of rage and voices filled with patriotism they ran. In their hands were swords. In their heart was their love for their nation. He was the same and he also ran with firmness in his heart.

The guards retreated. Not a single drop of blood was shed because they retreated. Veno should have felt relieved but he was not. He felt a pang of worry. h.e.l.lfire guards were not this weak. They were guarding a state secret after all.

His men cheered loudly after reaching the storage. Their arms were raised in the air and their voices were loud. They opened the door of the warehouse. Thousands of barrels of h.e.l.lfire were neatly stored inside. Veno still felt worried but it was too late to change his mind now.

"Back off and throw lamps inside!" he ordered

**********

The Captain of the mercenary company Moon was clad in armor tonight. His men were marching double pace behind. Other companies of mercenaries were also with them in their a.s.sault.

But one thing puzzled him. It was a question everybody was asking- where is Silverback? Silverback was supposed to go with them in their a.s.sault. They were going to attack the front gate of Holm. A direct a.s.sault like that would be difficult and they needed Silverback"s expertise. Those Castonians really are crack when it comes to fighting. And now Silverback is nowhere to be found. Their absence will greatly weaken the a.s.sault.

He didn"t worry about failure though. The Vanadian soldiers inside the city are raw recruits. He had heard that King Timothy just started training them a week ago. Even though he feared the name of the Castonian King, soldiers trained for just a mere week were not a threat.

He could now see the city walls. Moon had been a part of more difficult a.s.saults. Holm"s defenses were not impressive. This one should be easy.

**********

Silver"s second-in-command was a man of strength. Inside his armor, his bulky arms were itching for the upcoming battle. But there was a problem. It seemed they got lost.

He looked towards his Captain, Silver. Silver, or William, was a man of honor. William was the rightful King of Castonia after all. They all followed William all those years ago because they believed in him- they believed in his strength and the brand of his leadership.

For years, Silverback became famous. There was even a saying- Leave it to Silverback. In battles, when all hope is lost, people would look up to Silverback to save the day. He was proud of being part of Silverback. And much of their success could be attributed to Silver.

But lately, Silver had shown them weakness. It seemed that their Captain had been devoured by his love for his brother. When they pleaded Silver to go back to Castonia and take the throne for himself, Silver refused. That was understandable. If Silver doesn"t want to get involved, they would respect that. But when news spread that Timothy Castonia was just a b.a.s.t.a.r.d of the late Queen, that was when things started to get sour. Silver even defended his brother. Silver would rather bow down to his younger b.a.s.t.a.r.d brother. It was unacceptable. He maintained his loyalty to Silver but he had lost respect towards his Captain.

There was a half-moon in the sky. Silver was just in front of him- wearing his unique silver breastplate. They were supposed to meet up with the other mercenaries ages ago. But they were still in the forest.

There was then a clearing and Silver suddenly stopped. The entire company also stopped marching. After a few moments, Silver turned towards them.

*********

The music reached its crescendo. Timothy and Lucia"s movements became faster. Their movements were in unison. It was fast. The steps were difficult. But both of them were of one mind.

He knew. He knew about their plan. He knew that Admiral Veno will attack from the sea and burn the h.e.l.lfire. He knew that the mercenaries would then a.s.sault the gates and draw the city guards. He knew that underneath the palace, the Bear and the leaders of the conspirators are waiting in the sewers. He knew and he had already made plans.

He swirled Lucia and put his hand on the back of her waist. He smiled towards his wife and she smiled back.

They both knew.

*********

Veno wrinkled his forehead. It wasn"t burning. They had thrown several lamps inside already but the barrels wouldn"t burn. He had expected that the barrels would burst into flame the moment the lamps were thrown. But the barrels didn"t.

He turned his head towards his men. The also wore the same frowns of confusion.

"Why wouldn"t it burn?"

**********

The Captain of the mercenary company Moon was frowning. In the end, Silverback ditched them. That was odd. Silver was known to be a man of honor. He wouldn"t just break a contract.

Now they were near the gate. The snow on the ground wasn"t thick. They stood in the darkness and waited. The signal for their a.s.sault is a fire in the shipyard. Once the barrels of h.e.l.lfire were lit, they would begin their attack.

The soldier beside him wrinkled his nose.

"What"s that smell?"

**********

Silver"s second-in-command was staring at his captain. Silver was clad in armor. He looked marvelous in his distinctive breastplate.

There was silence. It was too silent that he could hear the crows. A cold wind blew.

Silver"s brown eyes behind his helm looked at them one by one. He had the urge to ask Silver what was going on. But he held his tongue. His trust towards Silver at least merited his silence.

"Castonians" Silver"s voice was cold "We are all Castonians. We have once turned our back towards our nation, but deep inside we are all Castonians. But what is a Castonian? Let me tell you. A Castonian is strong. A Castonian is brave. A Castonian would not run from a fight. But most of all, a Castonian is righteous. A Castonian is a moral person"

Silver paced a single step forward. "King Timothy is a true Castonian. He is strong. He is brave. He will never run from a fight. Most of all, King Timothy is righteous. He is a true King"

"What are you saying Silver?" The second-in-command asked. He acted surprised but his hand was already reaching into his sword.

"Last night I was forced to choose. I chose. Now it is your turn" Silver paused and filled his lungs with air.

"Choose!"