“I was a young king,” said Kaine. “I wasn’t ready to take the throne, but my father left me no choice. We were out hunting one day…”
The stag jumped out of its hiding place, and bolted through the forest. The king let out a triumphant yell, and spurred his horse forward. “Come, Khalis, lest you be left behind!”
His son, barely a man at fifteen years old, urged his own horse faster to catch up to his father. The exasperated royal guards exchanged weary glances with each other, then rushed forward. It was bad enough that the king wanted to hunt this deep in the forest, but to bring his heir too, with only two guards to protect the both of them, was simply inexcusable. While it was true they were deep within Calymnia’s borders, it was also true that assassins weren’t known for respecting borders, and the deep woods provided many opportunities for “accidents” to occur. However, as it turned out, no external threat was necessary for the hand of fate to do its duty that day.
The stag jumped between two trees, then suddenly screamed in agony and fell down. The king’s horse stopped suddenly, and the king pitched forward, landing near the stag. He immediately screamed in pain, and the two guards dismounted quickly and rushed to aid him. He held his hand up and yelled, “No! Stay back! It’s the Warp! Get my son out of here!”
The two guards stopped immediately and backed away slowly. Khalis, however, ran forward, calling out for his father. Fortunately for the boy, however, the guards caught him and stopped him in time. In horror, all three of then looked on as the chaotic energy known as the Warp worked its evil magic on the king and the stag.
Their bodies began fusing together, skin and hair melting, flowing into one another. Bones twisting, turning, breaking. Open wounds bleeding, the blood turning into black ichor. Bones burning softly like the embers of a dying fire. Both the king and the stag continued screaming until their separate voices merged into one unified bleating of pain. The bodies became an amorphous lump of burning, broken, and bleeding flesh, and then the screaming stopped. The lump of flesh then slowly stood up, revealing a monstrous combination of both man and deer. It had the body of a man, and walked upright, but it had the head and antlers of the deer. Its eyes were glowing blue orbs, and sharp fangs filled its mouth and dripped a viscous green liquid.
It raised a twisted half-hoof, half-hand towards the three onlookers, and started walking towards them. The king’s guard, knowing they were outmatched, picked up the young heir and ran back to their horses.
They made it back safely, and while there was some suspicion, the boy took the throne without much trouble.
“So wait. Your father is still alive?” asked Trick.
“I doubt it,” said Kaine. “This was nearly sixty years ago, and no Warpchanged lives more than a few months.”
“Yeah, good point,” said Trick. “So then what happened?”
Kaine laughed, despite recalling the painful memory of his father. “Well, the next 5 years of my life passed mostly without incident. Running the kingdom took most of my time, and sitting through endless state functions and boring social events took up the rest. I hated every second of it. That all changed when I met her.”
Sophia let out a sigh that can best be described as a swoon, and Nightshade snorted in derision. Trick looked even more disgusted than Nightshade, and asked, “Is this a romance? God I hate kissing…”
“Shut up, Trick!” said Sophia. Turning to Kaine, she said “Go on…”
Kaine smiled, and started speaking again.
Khalis, now a man of twenty, slumped on his throne, one leg thrown over an armrest. His mother, seated in the throne next to him like the proper lady she was, cleared her throat and leaned over to whisper in his ear. “Sit up! You might be the king, but the emissary from Archon will be here any moment, and you will not disrespect them by failing to present yourself properly!”
“Ugh. Fine, Mother,” he said, and straightened himself in the chair. Not a moment too soon, for just as he finished, the doors to the great hall opened, and the trumpets blasted their announcement fanfare. The emissary walked in, and Khalis was very glad that he had listened to his mother.
The emissary was beautiful.
She had skin the color of Summer honey, and dark, almost black hair. Her green eyes were shaped like almonds, and her lips were dark and full of promise. She was dressed in typical Archonian fashion: plain, yet elegant white trousers and collared shirt, with a neat, perfectly tied, black sash separating the two around her waist. Her hair was pinned back from her face in a professional braid, and she carried a small document case in her right hand. She walked across the great hall with confidence and purpose. When she reached the throne, she bowed from the waist instead of kneeling as was the custom.
“It is customary for people to kneel when they approach me,” said Khalis.
The emissary replied, “It is customary for people to kneel before their betters. I am Princess Mirena Ghasemi of the Archonian Empire, and I am your equal. You will treat me as such, or these negotiations are over.”
“Negotiations?” asked Khalis. “I thought you were here only to introduce yourself and your empire to me,” he said.
“Then you have been misinformed,” said the emissary. “I am here to negotiate your surrender.”
“My surrender? Have you lost your mind? Why would the mighty nation of Calymnia surrender to the Archonian Empire? Your lands are a thousand miles from here, across both the Heavenspire Mountains and the Nahuatl Jungle. Even if you could get your army here, our soldiers outnumber yours by 200 to one. It’s a war you couldn’t possibly win,” said King Khalis.
“That is all certainly true,” said the emissary. “However, we have a secret weapon.”
“And what weapon is that?”
“Me.”
“We were perfect for each other,” Kaine said. “She was beautiful, yes, but more importantly, she was smart. Dangerously smart. Kind, and funny, and loyal, too. I think it’s that last one that has gotten lost to time. Mirena was loyal to me, and she loved me just as much as I loved her. Our courtship was easy, and fun. Our wedding was a ceremony of celebration and happiness for both of us, and the entire kingdom.
“And not just Calymnia, but the Archonian Empire, too, because her father knew exactly what he was doing. I signed the treaty that brought Calymnia into the empire with only minimal negotiations. Oh, make no mistake: I wasn’t completely under her spell. The terms were very favorable to us, and Calymnia got just as much as it gave. It was a good deal all the way around.
“Our marriage was a good one. We loved each other, supported each other, and truly cared for each other. We ruled together with intelligence and wisdom, and Calymnia prospered.
“When Amaris was born, our happiness grew exponentially. We knew we wanted children from the very beginning, and so we started trying immediately.”
Trick interripted him. “Not this shit again,” he said.
Kaine smiled, and then continued. “We didn’t have to try long. Amaris here was eager to be born, and we were eager to welcome him.” Turning to the Sergeant, he said, “Your birth was celebrated throughout the kingdom. Your mother insisted on having a Birthing Tour…an ancient tradition of her people. She took you to every city and village in our nation and introduced you to everyone. It was a wonderful time for us, and the kingdom.”
Looking back to the fire and everyone seated around it, Kaine continued.
“Most of our people were happy, but not everyone. There are those who have decided that they will always be unhappy, no matter what the circumstances. These people cannot stand to see others happy, and so they try to ruin it whenever they get the chance. My brother was such a person. He was jealous of my happiness, and he wanted my kingdom for himself. So, he hired an assassin.”