“So how goes the evacuation, Arthur?” Kiefer asked, smiling cynically. Arthur simply kept quiet at Kiefer’s question, not knowing how to go about answering him.

“My husband and I have decided that it’s best that we not panic our citizens with the threat of imminent war. Partly because we do not wish for war and partly because we do not want to throw our people into more distress so quickly after the war with the demi humans have just ended not too long ago. As such, we have come here with another proposition.” Queen Aria spoke up in her husband’s stead.

“However, there is something we would like to clarify first.” Arthur picked up where his wife left off. “I would like to know the reason why you imprisoned my nephew, which enraged my brother to attack you. Somehow, I feel like there has been a misunderstanding and that there is no reason for this war to even take place.”

“Your nephew was involved in kidnapping, smuggling and torturing innocent people as slaves. Slavery might be shunned upon in your city, but it is by no means illegal. However, in Mutatis, selling, buying or owning humans or demi humans as slaves is illegal and is punishable by law. I brought your nephew over after catching him in the act to prove to him that he was operating within Mutatis territory and that he will be punished as per Mutatis laws.” Kiefer explained.

“I’m sorry but I find that really hard to believe. My nephew claims that you attacked him while he was out on a hunting trip. Considering that there was no evidence to support your claims, I find myself leaning towards my family’s side.” Arthur rebutted unconvincingly.

“That is why I couldn’t be bothered to explain it to you in the palace. It would be my word against his, and since we were in your palace, you would naturally be biased towards your nephew, making any arguments on my side pointless. This still doesn’t change the fact that your brother attacked me and you did nothing to stop him.” Kiefer blatantly pointed out the facts, not allowing Alwin to cut in.

“Arthur. You best make a decision quick. It is either the life of your nephew, or the lives and homes of your soldiers and citizens.” Isana added on, trying to sway the minds of the royal couple.

“And assuming I believe your words, if I hand my nephew over to you for punishment, would you be willing to concede and stop this incoming war?” Arthur asked after a long deliberation, weighing the cost and benefits of his decision.

Just as Alwin was about to agree to the conditions, Kiefer shut him up with his mana ropes before speaking. “No Arthur. What your nephew did and why we are waging war against you are 2 completely separate matters now. My new terms for peace are as follows. You WILL hand your nephew over to Mutatis for his just punishment. You will also publicly execute Gale Reyzwald on the charges of treason and attempted assassination of a key member of the political ally of Alluviate. Only after these 2 conditions have been met, will we be willing to resume our prior arrangement as stated in the contract.”

At this point, Arthur and Aria’s faces were contorted in agony, appalled by the new conditions set by Kiefer. Alwin was glaring at Kiefer, unable to say a word while his secretary was fidgeting nervously behind Alwin. Kiefer chuckled as he saw the maid about to bring in refills for the tea but instantly turned around and head back into the kitchen after feeling the heavy atmosphere.

“This is really putting me in a difficult spot.” Arthur lamented, massaging his forehead, wondering how he even landed in such a situation in the first place. He had promised his people peace and prosperity when he took the throne after his father. And yet almost immediately after he started his reign, skirmishes arose from Diantes and Rashael along the borders, shaking his already unsteady foundation of leadership. If a full blown war were to break out now, merely weeks after the first war ended, there would be so much civil unrest it wouldn’t take the enemy soldiers to destroy his city. His citizens would probably enter a cycle of self-destruction and implode.

“Isn’t there anyway to compromise? I feel it is a little too much to ask my husband to kill his own blood brother, in front of his citizens no less. Not only would it tarnish his image of a trustworthy and kind King, It will also weigh heavily on him as an emotional burden.” Aria pleaded, placing an arm on her husband’s back.

“So war it is then.” Kiefer announced loudly, pushing the royal couple to make a decision.

“NO! Wait!” Arthur screamed, pausing as he watched Kiefer turn his attention towards him. “I- I have another… proposal…” He muttered, finally making up his mind. Steeling himself, Arthur stood up and looked Kiefer in the eye, spying a displeased Alwin still trying to remove the binding on his mouth.

“Wha- what if… I hand over my nephew, and announce that my brother has tried to kill you. But instead of me executing him in public, you do it instead? However, it will be in the form of a duel. In place of the war, we will hold a duel between my brother and you in an arena within Alluviate. He will be fighting for his life while you will be fighting for the spoils of war. If he wins, you will let him live, but I will be sure to exile him from Alluviate personally. Then, our 2 cities will continue to co-exist as it has thus far. If you win, my brother dies by your hand, which is only appropriate since he attacked you. Alluviate will be a sub-city, pledging its loyalty to Mutatis, and will be ruled according to Mutatis laws. You will have full control of current Alluviate territory, but I request that I still be able to manage the city and decide on changes within. This way, we avoid the loss of innocent lives and you will be able to obtain what you would have if you had won the war.” (Arthur)

Kiefer smiled. This was the outcome he had hoped to achieve. Complete control over the lands within Shearwood province. This would grant Mutatis with the resources it needs to sustain the city’s growth and development. Alwin had stopped struggling, unable to believe the outcome of this counsel. Arthur had a worried look on his face, knowing full well that he was now playing right into the palms of Kiefer’s plans, and watching Kiefer smile only served to unnerve him even more. He was afraid Kiefer might demand more now, knowing that he had to concede to any demands the fearsome man in black armour had.

“That sound just about right. Now, shall we conclude and adjourn from this meeting? I’m getting quite hungry.” Kiefer said, standing up and undoing the mana ropes around Alwin’s mouth.

[[Several days later]]

“Tch! That useless brother of mine… I wonder why father ever made him King. I’m older than him, more tenacious and daring, and yet he chose the meek one to be king. Why the fuck is he so afraid to go to war with the new city? To think he will put me up for display like some kind of caged beast.” Gale murmured, chugging down an entire pitcher of beer.

“Don’t worry boss. We will be there to assist you in the stadium. There have been plans to poison their meal to weaken him just before the match. The poison is untraceable and will only weaken him enough so you can win. Then as long as you are alive, we will work from within the shadows and find a way to make you king.” One of Gale’s subordinate mages assured him, taking a sip from his own mug.

“There’s no need for that. I can easily beat him. If not for the constraint of space and the surprise factor, I would not have lost last time, even if he does use some weird magic. I was merely testing him and did not expect him to be able to withstand my attack. However, if things look bad in the duel, I want you to interfere. As long as I stay alive, I can make sure you and your family will be well off for the rest of your lives.” Gale replied, facing his squad of royal court mages.

“Of course Sir. The royal court mages will stand behind the archmage anytime. There was nothing wrong with you attacking that intruder after seeing him cage up your son and disobey the king’s orders. I just don’t understand why the King is so desperate to please the leaders of this new city. Given our military might, we could easily crush a new city like that. Furthermore, we have been at war from the skirmishes of Rashael and Drigor for almost a decade now. Our soldiers are already used to war and their skills can be considered top notch.” Another member of the royal mages spoke up, siding with Gale on his opinion of the King.

“It doesn’t matter what you think. What matters is I come out alive after this duel. I already know he can enhance his body with some magic, but judging by his armour, I would say that’s the limit of his magical capabilities and he relies more on physical combat. The black orb was probably a spell from another magus he hired that was lying in wait. The way I see it, if I’m prepared beforehand, and you guys are alert and ready to interfere, there is no way I could lose.” (Gale)

“But then what about what the King said? That he had titans and high elves backing him up? If you do win the duel and kill him, will his companions be able to hold themselves back? What is to say they won’t interfere to keep him alive either?” One of the more worried mages asked, hoping he had not chosen the wrong side.

“Hah! You really believe in his lies? My brother described the titans to be a human female, a reptilian demi-human girl, and a small dog. Who’s ever heard of titans looking so weak and useless? And Titans are a myth anyway. We may send tributes to Shearwood Lake every 10 years but our reports show they always end up dying on the way there within the Agrean forest anyway. We only keep up the custom to appease the citizens and keep their hearts at peace.” Gale scoffed, not believing for even a second that titans existed.

“Send some more spies to the road leading to Mutatis. The duel is in a week and I want to know everything there is to know. Make sure the spies intercept them on their way to Alluviate and get a general idea of the force they are bringing with them.” Gale ordered, as someone hiding in the shadow nodded and shot out the window of the house.

[[Day of the Duel]]

“Fuck! What are the spies doing!?! They have yet to return with any reports! I’m going in blind here. Fucking useless cowards, only hiding in the shadows.” Gale grumbled, pacing nervously in his ward, preparing to get out into the arena.

The arena was large, about 4 soccer fields put together. There was a special runic barrier placed along the interior walls of the Arena, shielding the 20 thousand audiences seated to watch this fight. They had all been shocked at the announcement throughout the city, about their head magus attacking a political leader of the neighbouring country. The audience comprised mostly of Alluviate citizens, with Mutatis residents making up no more than 10% of the total head count.

Soon, Gale’s name was called out using a unique wind magic that carried the announcer’s voice through the audience’s seats. Gale stepped out confidently in his archmage robe. The audience was silent, no one cheering or jeering at the man. They all knew what he had done, but they were not informed of the reason. No one in the audience knew what to feel, or who to root for, only that they knew someone would die today.

“KIEFER OF MUTATIS CITY! STEP UP ONTO THE ARENA!” The announcer yelled, calling for Kiefer to enter. Silence ensued as all eyes focused on the gate located at the far end of the arena. They stared at the gaping hole in the wall, straining their eyes to catch a glimpse of the man who was representing Mutatis, their neighbour.

“That little shit. Did he run away? I knew he was no good, only relying on surprise attacks. When it comes to a straight up fight, he just turns tail and runs.” Gale muttered, smiling a little at the absence of his opponent.

*GGGRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH*

Suddenly, a deafening roar shook the entire arena, causing everyone to instinctively cover their ears and crouch down in their seats in fear. The once brightly lit arena from the midday sun was now plunged into darkness as a huge shadow was cast over them.

Everyone looked up into the sky in horror, staring at the huge magical beast they have only heard of in myths and storybooks. “Shearwood…” Gale muttered, staring at the giant winged serpent in floating in the sky. Next to the serpent was a pure white dragon with 4 wings, causing the air to get colder than it already was with each flap of its wings. Her bright emerald eyes glimmered, contrasting with her white body and attracting the attention of any onlookers.

Everyone was scared stiff at the appearance of the 2 legendary titans, unable to even leave their seats to flee. They watched as the 2 titans flew towards the middle of the arena, covering it in a blizzard of ice and snow, obscuring vision for a brief few second. As the snowstorm cleared, standing in the middle were a gorgeous beauty, and a small adorable girl with scales covering the side of her face.

The 2 ladies turned their heads to the side of the arena, causing everyone to divert their stares in the same direction. Then, a smaller shadow shot through the skies, jumping over the arena walls and all the audiences, landing next to the 2 girls. There, seated atop a giant grey wolf that towered at over 3m tall, was a man with black hair and a cleanly shaven face. He alighted from the wolf as it stepped forwards and growled at Gale menacingly.

Kiefer walked over to Isana and gave her a peck on the cheeks, before turning to face Gale, who was now shaking in his shoes. The entire audience watched in silence as snow continued to fall to the ground, painting the arena floor white. Kiefer took slow deliberate steps towards Gale, leaving behind footprints in the soft snow. He stopped 10 steps away from gale, took a long glance around the arena at all the people gathered to watch this mercy killing.

“Sorry I’m late. Shall we get this started?”

Now i know what you all are thinking but i'd like to read it in the comments anyways. always a pleasure to read your thoughts. I have a favour to ask all of you though, please leave a review of my fiction if you have the time. Donn't be afraid to point out any flaws or be critical in your reviews. i really want to improve this as I will be writing this for the long run.