"The burden of the lord is to lead the people. Let the ministers shoulder the other burdens for them." - Saying of Wise King Thurmad of the Clangeddin empire, circa 200 FP.

Al-Shan Empire, Winter 671 FP.

"So how is the report?" Halmout Mansoor asked his gathered compatriots. Gathered with him inside the small chamber were Mustafa bey Leung, the man who had served as the general for the loyalist army, Sada Niesha, the old woman who had commanded their naval assets, and Celeysria Ambervale, the Blood Demon.

The room was kept dim, other than a table lamp that illuminated a map of the archipelago, spread on a table that the four sat around. Wards and spells set around the room prevented any possible leak of information outside the chamber, as the four were adamant that the meeting remained a secret to others.

"Not promising." Answered Sada. "Hadj-al-Zafreed had fortified its islands, and it would be costly to besiege them… and worse, I fear morale would not hold were we to do so."

The civil war that had torn the archipelago asunder should have technically ended a month ago with the death of the usurper. However, reality proved itself a harsher mistress, as the usurper's death had not meant all those that had supported him laid down their arms and surrendered peacefully.

Many had fled the empire to parts unknown, some so long ago, to the point that nobody expected to have these rebels ever brought to justice. Others had remained committed to their cause and fought to the bitter end, and those were at least simpler to handle.

The issue that gave the loyalist higher-ups a headache were the royal governors of Hadj-al-Zafreed, who proposed a peaceful surrender where they retained their ranks and power. Hadj-al-Zafreed itself was the collective name given to three large islands located close to one another, with sand banks that bridged the islands during low tides, which also possessed a strong naval force, for the islands were the southwestern frontier fortress of the empire.

A strong naval force that the governors threatened to use to defend their positions of power, should their demands not be met. A problem doubly compounded by the simple fact that the loyalist army, while triumphant, was tired of war, and morale would have likely fallen to a new low were they forced to besiege a fortress island right now.

And then there was the major worry that the populace would be sick of more warfare should they be forced into conflict now that the usurper laid dead. Popular support was on the loyalist's side, and for Xain's rule to have proceeded smoothly, they needed that support and could not have afforded nor risked its loss.

"What are our options then?" Mustafa asked. "I have confidence that we could starve them out eventually, but that might take months, if not years, and it would inflict massive casualties to the civilians that lived there."

"Yet to accept their offer is not an option we can contemplate either." Cal interjected. "They were nobles of the old blood, to let them remain in power would just hinder Xain, and cause instability in his rule."

"His majesty had insisted that he wanted to bring the late emperor's reforms to reality." Halmout said. "Those reforms were what caused so many to have supported the usurper back then. I agree that reconciliation is an unlikely option for us."

"What does that leave us with then?" Asked Sada with a frown. "Neither option seemed like a good one. And those bastards guarded their shores too closely, I could barely get my few spies in as it is."

"Wait… Sada, you said you managed to get a few spies in before." Cal suddenly questioned. "Think you could do that again?"

"It took many sacrifices, but yes, it should be possible to sneak a few individuals in there." Replied the old admiral. "What do you have in mind?"

"To kill a snake… we remove its head." Cal said with grim determination. "I could go there, alone, and take out the governors. And their heirs."

"That would be a risky endeavour." Said Halmout in disagreement. "And to resort to assassination… would cast a bad image for his majesty, under the circumstances."

"That's why you just need to throw all the blame my way." Cal explained with a determined voice. "I acted on my own, without permission, in pursuit of a personal vendetta, or something. You should be able to weave a better-sounding excuse than me."

"I don't like it, Cal." Mustafa said. "It felt like we would be ungrateful bastards who threw you under the wagon if we did that."

"You know I planned to leave by next year." She stated in return. "Worst case, should the people be outraged, just make that a formal exile as punishment."

"Your resolve has been made already, I noticed." Halmout said, as the old man sighed in defeat. "I wish you would let me share some of the burdens you seem intent on shouldering by yourself… You just made me feel like I'm a useless old man well past his usefulness now…"

"We each have our burdens, Halmout." Cal stated bluntly. "Yours, is to ensure that Xain grows up to be a good leader for the empire, while Mustafa and Sada's are to keep you all safe to do your duties."

"As for me…" She added with a sigh. "Let me wash the road with the blood of those that stood against you. Let my hands be the one stained with more blood should it need to be spilled. It would not have made much difference with how much was already there anyway."

"Somebody needed to be the one to clean up the trash, and for the years to come, the empire and Xain will need people like you more than it would need a killer like me." She added with a melancholic tone to her voice. "So let me clean up for you all before I go."

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A month later, panic broke out at Hadj-al-Zafreed when the grand governor, who ruled over the largest of the isles, was found cruelly murdered in his fortified estate, along with every member of his immediate family. Not even their guards and servants were spared, and the sudden murder spread fear amongst the populace.

The assassination - for there was no attempt made to hide what it was -, was utterly indiscriminate, as not even the governor's three-year old child, or the family's pet dog for that matter, was spared. Instead, it was as if a natural disaster struck the mansion, as not a single one of the corpses found were left in one intact piece.

The culprit announced herself to be none other than the Blood Demon when she left a message written in blood at the second governor's house after she had butchered every living being inside. To her surprise, once the news had spread, the populace rose up in riots, not against the new emperor, but against the last governor of the isles.

Cal did not even get a chance to have laid her hands on the third governor, as the rioters had lynched the man to death at his own home, then burned his mansion to the ground, before they elected a speaker amongst them and openly surrendered to the new emperor's forces and welcomed them with open arms, and in some cases, tears in their eyes.

As it turned out, the governors of Hadj-al-Zafreed had imposed heavy taxes throughout their reigns, which they had made heavier after the usurper started to lose control. When Cal violently and brutally murdered one governor - and his entire family, which had ironically and conveniently gathered in his mansion for safety -, she had inadvertently lighted a spark to the piled grievances the people had against their lords. When she exposed her identity on purpose on the second assassination, the people who had heard of her name took it as a sign that they had the support of a war hero, and took things into their own hands before she could finish her mission.

In the end, none of the worst case scenarios the four had brainstormed got any chance to be used, and Cal left the archipelago openly and peacefully the following year.