The Union

But the influx of the Tulosan prisoners from the third battle of Knightsend brought life again to Turan. The Tulosans who were responsible for the destruction of the villages around Solon were sentenced to hard labor in the mine.

From the top of the mine, Henry could see his old comrades mining for iron. With picks in hand, the prisoners were striking the earth to cinch the ores that would soon be refined to iron ingots. This could have been Henry"s world. It wasn"t really a bad world since King Timothy a.s.sured him that the prisoners were being treated justly. But he still felt bad that he was given the honor of fighting by His Majesty side while his brothers were doing hard labor.

He gave a list of names to the captain of the guards and after a while those people were presented to him in person. He could still recognize their faces. They were not wearing the distinctive armor of the Knights. Their usually cleanly-shaven faces had stubble. Their hairs were uncut. The only remaining marks of their old profession were the brands on their arm.

"Henry? Is that you Prefect?" Stan pointed to him.

The other Knights who were anxiously looking around, confused probably as to what fate will soon befall them, also noticed Henry.

"Prefect!"

"Why are you here?!"

"What"s going on Prefect?"

The Knights approached him but were stopped by the guards. They stepped back after seeing the spears pointed towards them.

"Prefect Henry. What is the meaning of this? Are we going to be executed?" Stan asked.

"No. I don"t have that authority. Only King Timothy has the power to decide life and death" Henry answered.

"Of course. Yes. You are right Prefect." Stan said while nodding. "So? Are the rumors true? Are you serving under him? While he is an honorable person, I personally don"t think we should meddle with their affairs. What would happen if he orders you to fight against Tulosa?"

Henry bit his lips before answering. "Well. General Rickard has returned. And I am… I"m joining King Timothy to fight off General Rickard. King Timothy also wants a century of Tulosan Knights to fight with him against General Rickard. I handpicked all of you because I know that you are righteous and have a sense of honor."

"Have you gone mad Prefect!?" Stan bellowed. "Fighting for a foreign King is acceptable. But fighting against Tulosa is treason!"

The other knights also showed signs of displeasure. Henry had already predicted their behavior but it was still painful to be looked upon like this.

"General Rickard is not Tulosa. He is rouge General that must be stopped at all cost. Do you know what he did? Let me tell you what he did."

Henry revealed to them everything General Rickard did. He told them about the treacherous mercenaries and how Rickard executed Marquis Benedict despite the latter"s surrender. After he was finished, the faces of the Knights were full of disgust.

"Absurd!" Stan shouted. "To kill a captive. Oh the Omniscient must be weeping. Vulgar actions done in the name of the Knighst. How cruel"

"And using treachery to take the castle too. I knew that Master Rickard is a little tough on his policies but I never expected that he is a monster with no heart."

"He is not a Knight and we should not consider him one of ours. The Prefect is right, he has gone rouge. Grand Master Nelson would excommunicate Rickard if he hears of this."

Henry cleared his throat to sway their attention to him.

"Unfortunately, Grand Master Nelson is dying. I know it"s hard to discuss this. I myself don"t want to think of the day Grand Master Nelson"s light leaves the world. But we must face the truth. The Grand Master will soon die. A civil war will then engulf Tulosa. King Timothy promised me that he will intervene in the civil war to reduce the civilian casualties. That"s why I"m serving him. He is our hope Brothers. He will bring peace between our Kingdoms. Don"t you want that? Don"t you want peace after experiencing all these chaos? Fighting against Tulosan soldiers is hard. I know. But if that"s the price we have to pay for peace, then isn"t that worth it?"

His rhetoric silenced them. He knew how they feel. General Rickard must be stopped and the people of Tulosa needed a foreign interference- the Knights know this. Of course Timothy could go back on his promises and use them to conquer Tulosa instead, but Henry was confident that Timothy would fulfill his promises.

"Will he really do that? He will gain nothing." Stan said.

"He will gain peace. Isn"t that good enough?" Henry reb.u.t.ted.

"A century of Tulosan Knights wouldn"t help him much." A Knight at the back said. "We are few."

"He doesn"t really need us to fight. He wants to make a statement. He wants to show everyone the difference between General Rickard"s Knights and the true Knights. He wants our brothers who were still reluctantly serving General Rickard to see the truth and do the right thing."

There was silence again but this time Henry could see their determination. The prospect of peace for the people of Tulosa and erasing the disgusting brand of Knights General Rickard is trying to promote was enough to change their minds.

If there was one thing Henry learned from Timothy, it"s to not waste a moment. He walked towards them and offered his hand to Stan.

"Then, will you again ride with me?"

They looked at him and were still silent. But Henry already knew their answer. They will join him. For peace and for righteousness.

**********

After getting the news from Henry that some of the Knights had agreed to join him, Timothy went to his room. It was already dark. Tomorrow will be the day they part for Knightsend.

But when he reached the door to his room, he changed his mind. He had a sudden longing for a certain princess and he decided that he will stay with her tonight. He dismissed the still-injured Abraham and found himself walking towards Lucia"s room.

"Tell her it"s me and that I want to spend the night here." he said to Lucia"s guards.

One of the guards informed Lucia about his visit while the other was looking at him in a funny way.

"What is it?" Timothy asked. "Is my face ugly?"

"No! It… it"s nothing Your Majesty" the soldier said.

Timothy sighed.

"Just tell me. I won"t hold it against you"

The guard, faced with Timothy"s unyielding insistence, finally revealed what"s on his mind. "Umm… We just want to let you know that we… are fine with it. She"s our princess but it is okay if it"s you"

Timothy instinctively scratched his head. It seemed the guards had the wrong idea.

"Ahem" Lucia, who had just opened the door, indicated her presence. She looked at Timothy. "King Timothy is just spending the night. Nothing indecent will happen. Isn"t that right Your Majesty?"

"Yeah. Of course. I just wanted to see her."

"I"m sorry for getting the wrong impression!" The guard bowed his head.

Timothy rolled his eyes. People always get the wrong idea when it comes to Lucia and him. He went inside the room with Lucia.

"We can"t blame him. "I want to spend the night"? Isn"t that a little too vague?" Lucia said after closing the door. She put one hand on her waist.

Timothy grinned and kissed her forehead. Even though his day was a sour, she makes him feel better.

"Just shut up and let me show my affection"

What followed was at least an hour of "showing affection". Both of them ended up sleeping on the bed due to exhaustion.

But Timothy was suddenly awakened by the wind. It was cold. He looked at Lucia and she was still sleeping.

When he turned his head to the other side, he saw him.

He was still the same and his presence was unmistakable. The Spectator was sitting on a chair not far from them. He smiled at Timothy.

"A long time Your Majesty."

Unlike before, the Spectator"s presence didn"t scare him as much. He was still uncertain but knowing that the strange man was their friend for now gave him a peace of mind.

"Less than two weeks. That is not a long time. Why are you here? I disappointed you or something?"

The Spectator grinned. "No. Nothing of that sort. We got the news. It seems there will soon be a large battle and it involves three large armies. Among the three, you have the biggest chance of victory which makes you the person we are betting for."

"Get to the point. What do you want?"

"What do we want? No. It is you who wants something." He stood up and walked towards the bed. "We are powerful. Not invincible but powerful enough to a.s.sist you. For example, we can enter General Rickard"s tent or your father"s and end their lives. We can give you the throne of Castonia in one night. So, do you want it?"

"No" Timothy said as soon as the Spectator finished speaking. "We are not weak enough to ask for your a.s.sistance. Lucia and I will accomplish everything by our own power. This may sound arrogant but we don"t want shortcuts. Peace and justice would be meaningless if we employ your help."

The Spectator frowned but his mouth slowly formed into a smile. "As expected. I got gooseb.u.mps. That was a test by the way and we are relieved by your answer. My friends will be thrilled after I tell them of your answer. You are still the same." he bowed. "So your Majesty, I apologize for disturbing your sleep. We just wanted to check on you."

"Wait!" Timothy called before the Spectator could leave. The man stopped and looked at him.

Timothy turned his gaze on Lucia"s sleeping figure. He put his hand on her face. "I may need your a.s.sistance after all."

"Oh? I did say that was just a test to see your personality but I"m listening"

"If something happens. If everything is lost. Please save her. I know it"s too much to ask but please ensure that she"ll live. I"m not asking for anything else, just keep her safe."

The man laughed after hearing this. "You never changed. You"re still the same after all these years. Well… She was in fact our prime candidate in the past. After meeting you she had lost her sense of ambition. You know what they say, history repeats itself. If you lose and die, I"m sure she will regain her ambition. So yes, we will protect her but just once. And not because of your request but for the possibility that she could replace you"

Timothy didn"t understand half of what the Spectator said but he was glad that they will protect Lucia. She was both his greatest strength and weakness.

"Thank you" Timothy said.

The Spectator turned around and walked into the darkness. "Think nothing of it. Until we meet again... Mathew."