“Deep into that darkness peering,

long I stood there,

wondering, fearing, doubting,

dreaming things no mortal ever dared to dream before…”

The nervous servant, hearing his master recite poetry inside, hesitated to knock on the big, wooden door, in fear of any consequences. But he couldn’t disobey the orders of the Head Counselor. With a shaking hand, he reluctantly rammed his joints against the door.

“My lord”, he said, and fear was detectable in his voice, “the King asks for your presence.” The recitation from inside stopped and a tall, handsome man with broad shoulders opened the door, sliding a small book in the left pocket of his long mantle.

“Thank you for telling me, Sai. I suppose you will escort me to him?” he said in his deep voice.

“Yes, sir. He is waiting in the throne room.” The servant, Sai, stepped aside and let the General lead the way. He wouldn’t dare walk in front of him. The corridors followed one another as they walked through them, Sai following the General’s back.

He still couldn’t believe his good luck. After the previous servant got ill a few days ago, he had been chosen to serve the General, the second most important person in the Kingdom, only surpassed by the King himself.

The General, going by the name of Leon, had only recently risen to this rank, after the mysterious death of his predecessor. His long, rich, red hair really made him look like a lion, and he behaved like one. He was, undoubtedly, one of the most gifted people of his generation, leading his soldiers not by relying on the power of his rank, but by making them want to follow him themselves.

Not that he couldn’t be fierce if he wanted to. Now, at the age of thirty-four, he was the youngest General in the history of the kingdom. With him at their side, nobody in the capital felt fear hearing the rumors of an upcoming rebellion.

“The Raven”, said the General, distracting the servant from his thoughts.

“Excuse me, sir?”

“That is the name of the poem I was reading, the Raven. Recommended to me by the King himself. Spectacular, indeed. Do you read poetry, Sai?” he asked, turning around and walking backward, so he could look at Sai.

“No sir, I’m afraid I do not”, replied Sai, shocked by the childish behavior of the General. For a person of his status to walk backward in a central hallway of the palace, that was completely unheard of. People went by them, looking strangely at the General from behind his back. One woman smiled but managed to keep herself from laughing loudly by covering her mouth with her hand and walking faster.

“You should try sometime, I highly recommend it.” He turned around again and continued walking normally, while the servant’s color had changed eleven times.

They entered the corridor leading to the throne room and Sai felt the same thing he felt every time he walked that corridor. Paintings of the previous kings hung on the wall, tens of them, all with the same expression, as if they were offended that someone like him stepped in front of them. Fear made Sai slow his pace but the General, who somehow seemed to enjoy the presence of the paintings, sped up, leaving the servant behind.

When Sai managed to catch up, they were standing in front of the four-meter-tall door leading to the throne room itself. The guards at either side of the door saluted and drew their crossed spears away.

“Time to reap results, my friend”, said the General and opened the door, pushing each side of it with one hand.

Sai was now in a difficult position. According to the palace etiquette, his role should have been to escort the General to the throne room and then leave. But when the General opened the room and stepped inside without telling him to leave, leaving would be an insult to the General. Entering, on the other hand, would be an insult to the King himself. Sai thought back and wondered if his life had any meaning, then he pinched himself hoping this was a dream he could wake up from.

Of the two soldiers by the door, one was grim-looking and looked at Sai with indifference written all over his face. The other, being more compassionate, understood Sai’s situation and whispered at him. “Just stay by the door and wait."

Sai, who had already begun to think about the afterlife, thanked him and took his place by the door. Until the soldiers closed the big door, he tried to peek inside. All he saw was a young girl that seemed upset, surrounded by guards in white uniforms.

🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️🧙‍♂️

General Leon walked into the throne room and grasped the situation at once, as he was used to doing. Besides himself, in the room were the King, the Head Counselor, and the Head of the White House, Sayfire, surrounded by her guards. From the way the King looked at him, he could tell their plan had been successful.

Forgetting her manners, Sayfire didn’t even glance at him, as she was still trying to comprehend what she was seeing. The Counselor nodded politely and remained silently seated to the right of the King’s throne.

“I suppose you have been filled in, Lady Sayfire”, he said as he took his seat to the left of the King.

“She has, Leon”, answered the King in Sayfire’s place, smiling devilishly. “Thoroughly.”

The King was a young man, no older than twenty-five years old, tall and handsome, confident, strong, and seemingly focused on world domination. Completely the opposite of the image Sayfire had had of him.

But it wasn’t the King himself that she was struggling to comprehend. Nor was it the Head Counselor, who was completely under the King’s influence. It was the words the King had told her, a few sentences that had rendered everything she had done in the past few years useless.

A few moments ago…

“My King”, Sayfire greeted him when she entered the room. “It is always a pleasure to see you.” It was the second time she entered the throne room since she continuously served outside the capital, but it was just as she remembered it. Chandeliers were hanging from a ceiling that seemed tens of meters away, although she knew it wasn’t really that high. A red carpet stretched from the entrance of the room to the throne, but the etiquette of the palace indicated that she could walk at most half of the carpet, unless the King told her to come closer. Generally, the room was in an oval shape, with the entrance being at one corner and the throne at the other. Around the throne room were works of art, sculptures, and paintings, all works of famous artists that were now long dead.

The master of the palace, the King of Southern Humans, the archenemy of Sayfire, King Napoleon, was sitting on his red-golden throne with his legs crossed. A handsome man, young and strong, a man who seemed fit to be a ruler. Sayfire had instinctively kneeled before she remembered that he was the man she was fighting. And yet, why did he not look like what she had expected? Why did his appearance seem to defy any and all of the reports she had received?

To the right of the throne was a smaller chair, still a bit extravagant, where the Head Counselor was sitting. An old bald man with a thin mustache that circled around his cheeks and was tied behind his head, he was the one with whom Sayfire communicated. Only that now, he was idly watching, just nodding at Sayfire when she walked through the door. He clearly wasn’t the center of attention.

“Same to you, Sayfire”, replied the King. “How are things out there?”

“Great, of course. How could they be any different since your Majesty is the one on the throne? Just a few weeks ago, we destroyed the largest pirate fleet that had been terrorizing our ports for years”, she said, bowing her head again. He should be vulnerable to compliments, she thought, even if he doesn’t deserve them.

“Oh, there’s no need to flatter me too much. You know that I do practically nothing, sitting here all day.”

“My King”, she replied, unable to think of any proper answer that couldn’t insult the king.

“I have a question for you, Sayfire.” He stood up from his throne and began walking towards her. Now that he was up, Sayfire could make out how well-toned his body was through his light clothes. Really, what unfit clothes for a king, she thought.

“Let’s assume that you somehow came to own a house, and then you discovered that this house is overrun by mice”, he continued. “Mice that, no matter how much you try to exterminate, there will always be a few left, enough to destroy any nice furniture you bring. Do you know how you get rid of them?”

“I… I don’t know. How?” she answered, so startled she was sure the King could see it. What is he doing?

“Let me tell you then. First, you pretend to chase after them. You set one or two small traps that may or may not catch a few mice. By pretending that you are unable to catch them, the mice will get careless and hasty. They will get overconfident. Then, when they have abandoned every precaution, you put a huge block of cheese in the house, somewhere where the mice would be exposed to danger. The mice know they shouldn’t go, but the bait is too good and their confidence is too great. So they make a move. One by one, then two by two, and then all the mice together go for the cheese, until every last mouse in the house has crawled out and joined the others. Do you see what I’m getting at, Sayfire?”

“I’m afraid I do not”, she said, although she could understand his purpose. For her, who had taken an interest in politics long ago, this was so painfully obvious.

“Let me continue then. When all the mice are on the cheese, certain of their ability to get away with it, you show your true colors. That cheese was at the center of a big trap, that you now activate, and all the mice have already been caught in it. By the time they see the trap, it is too late to do anything. And after you have killed all the mice, you are left with a brand new house that you can decorate any way you want, and make it a house worthy of respect from other houses.” As he said these, he walked back to his throne and sat on it.

“Now, my little mouse”, he said with a victorious grin, “do you understand?”

She remained quiet. Of course she understood. The King knew all about the revolution she was stirring since long ago, and was somehow already certain of his victory over them. And why wouldn’t he be?

From the revolutionaries’ perspective, an incapable king was the main problem, the one that had made most of the rebels join and amass numbers able to overthrow the Capital. If it was revealed that the king wasn’t like that at all, what would be their reason to fight?

“A messenger from you has already been sent to Waterslide, carrying the message that you have declared war upon me and ordered your allies to rally up all available soldiers.” Seeing her face, he continued. “You shouldn’t be that surprised. You didn’t really think you were the only one with spies, did you?”

The four guards Sayfire had brought with her, finally catching up to the conversation, gathered around her, ready to offer their lives to safely get her away.

“I wouldn’t recommend that”, said the King. “The Black House is standing outside the door, ready to jump in any moment. I don’t want to kill any of you, but I will if you force me to.”

“You won’t kill me? What do you want then?” shouted Sayfire, losing her temper. The world around her seemed to be collapsing, everything she had done losing its meaning.

“Why would I kill you? So your death can become the new motive for the revolution? Of course not. In fact, I will let you return to Waterslide, or flee the country if you want. Frankly, I couldn’t care less about you anymore. Your head will be sent flying after this revolution fails anyway”, he said, and then yawned as if to complete his words.

“Why are you doing this, you mad dog?” All caution was thrown to the wind now as Sayfire understood how little hope she had left.

“Mad? Dog? Interesting words. But they don’t affect me.” Truthfully, he didn’t seem to care at all. “As to why I’m doing this, I have already explained. So I can draw out every element in this country that opposes me and destroy them all at once. Even those who will flee the revolution, and a lot of them will, will be too weak to pose any threat to me. And after this country has been cleansed, I will be able to make it great again. And then I will go out and conquer the world, with an army completely loyal to me.”

“Ha! Conquer the world? Even if you defeat us, the world is too big for you alone, boy.” She felt a sting of disappointment as her insults fell on deaf ears, the King didn’t even bother to answer to them. Instead, a smile appeared on his face just as she said that.

“You feel offended, I presume. Now please tell me, Sayfire, how does it feel to be so weak that you can be hurt by mere words?” Not expecting a response, he continued. “And also, who said I was alone?” It was at that moment that General Leon opened the door.

“I suppose you have been filled in, Ms Sayfire”, he said as he took his seat to the left of the King.

“She has, Leon”, answered the King in Sayfire’s place, smiling devilishly. “Thoroughly”.

Sayfire turned her head around to look at the newcomer. An imposing man, certainly.

“Allow me to introduce you to our kingdom’s new General, Leon”, said the King, still smiling.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, after hearing so many things about your bravery in the North”, he introduced himself.

“I can’t say the same, since you are in league with him”, answered Sayfire, pointing at the King.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” asked the General, but the King spoke before Sayfire could answer and insult him even more than she already had.

“This is what I meant when I said I was not alone. Leon and a few others that you will meet soon enough are my most trusted companions. And to answer your previous question, yes, with their help I can conquer the world!” Meanwhile, General Leon had taken his place to the left of the King’s throne.

“When it comes to warfare, he is by far the most gifted man I have ever known, both in mind and in body”, continued the King. “It will be by his hand that the rebel troops, or what’s left of them, will be defeated.”

“You speak too highly of me, my King”, commented Leon.

“I’ve heard enough”, said Sayfire, having regained her composure. It’s not that she had accepted the truth, she was just ignoring it for now.

“Can I go, King?” That last word sounded like she was spitting on his legs.

“Yes, of course. As long as you ask politely.”

Sayfire looked right into his eyes for a good while, staying silent. The King raised his brow.

“Please”, she said, and her eyes were burning fire.

“See? It’s always good to be polite. You are dismissed.”

Without another word, Sayfire turned around and, followed by her guards, stormed out of the room and banged the door behind her.

“You really shouldn’t tease her too much... You know that the plan depends on her mental health”, said Leon laughing, while they could still hear the sound of Sayfire’s rage unleashed on the servants walking around the corridors of the palace.

“Relax, Leon. Have faith in our girl.” Then, both laughing loudly, they went through the back door of the throne room and hurried on to the arranged meeting where they and a few others would drink and discuss their plans, women, and then they would drink again.