Chapter 10

"Why is the invitation not here yet? It is noon already Fiona." Darus walked with heavy steps, as he impatiently walked up and down the room. It felt like even the ground tremored slightly beneath the gigantic God armor.

"The manservant must be running late." Fiona spoke, even though she was in her mid-fifties but being a healer mage, her beautiful and regal face hadn't aged beyond thirty.

Her sharp eyes quickly moved over the contents of the report in her hand.

"Why are so relaxed Fiona?"

"Why are you so tensed brother?" she replied with a question.

"Those fools haven't sent an invitation yet." Darus spoke with an irked expression "You shouldn't have even need of an invitation to enter a meeting, you are the queen and King's advisor"

"Former queen brother" she corrected Darus "And king's advisor only in name, I don't even remember the last time King Jamine did act on my advice. " she spoke nonchalantly.

"He is a fool to do so. Those councilmen are playing him as a puppet. This kingdom will go down to ashes, I am telling you."

Fiona sniggered "Listen to these stats" she spoke holding the reports infront of her -"There are famines everywhere, every law passed in the last five years is in favor of the rich only widening the disparity among the two classes, rebels are happening all over the kingdom. You would already know the situation on the borders." She took a pause for a breather and continued " The corruption is yet another topic on which I can keep going for an hour and would have only covered a fraction of it." Putting down the reports she spoke looking at Darus "Tell me brother hasn't it already gone down to ashes ?"

Darus looked at her sister startled by the stats "What....It did not seem that grave from out here."

"You have just returned a few months back from the borders and things from up here does not look that bad. But trust me it soon will." she replied

"But...why isn't anyone doing anything, good men loyal men to the throne ?"

"Good men are already buried deep down or are rotting in the cell." Fiona sighed, sorrow creeping behind her stoic expressions.

"You should do something sister. You should save this kingdom as a former queen."

Fiona burrows frowned finally letting out emotions- "What makes you think I haven't been trying. For these past years, I have been doing everything I can, to save this kingdom. " she spoke with scorn "But what can I or anyone do when the King himself is busy tearing down this kingdom apart." Fiona would have already left the kingdom, hadn't been it for her ancestors and her late husband who had built this kingdom on their backs.

"Your son is not eve-"

"Darus" Fiona interrupted with a loud voice "Jamine died for me the moment he allowed his father's execution." a tear dropped from her eye, but she quickly rubbed it off.

"Is it true sister ?" Darus hesitated for a while and finally managed to ask "Was Gustov training a child in secrecy so he could assassinate 'Him' ?"

Darus had been around the border with his battalion for the past seven years and he wasn't much aware of the situation of the kingdom.

Fiona nodded "I loath him for that," she spoke "But do not misunderstand me Darus. I loath him for destroying a child and trying to forge him into a weapon. I loath him for being blinded for the love of his ungrateful son."

"What happened to the child ?"

Fiona's eyes visibly saddened. She took a deep breath and avoiding the question spoke "Lets go to the council meeting and see what they are up to today." she started walking out.

Darus quietly followed her sister.

"Invitation, my lord." one of the two guards outstretched his hand to Darus.

"We don't have one, the manservant got late probably. Move aside."

"We have strict orders, my lord. Not to let anyone enter the council room without the invitation." the guard replied hesitantly. They knew the man infront of them was one of the strongest warriors in the kingdom's history. Who had a reputation of being ill temepered .

Darus lifted the visor of his helm and asked in disbelief,- "Are you new soldier ?"

"..No lord... Darus." the soldier stuttered.

Darus snorted out "So how dare you then stop the Queen and me."

"Former Queen, Lord Darus, if I may correct you." a man interrupted as he walked out of the council room followed by four soldiers, heavily armored. They were from the king's own.

Darus's expressions soured at the sight of the man, everything about the man disgusted him.

Only after his arrival to the capital did Darus realize there was a shift of power and influence in the kingdom, and the man infront of him was one of the major reasons for that shift and most probably for the kingdom's pity state too.

"You two may leave," the man spoke in a commanding voice "these four guards will be on the door in case anyone without an invitation tries to barge in." the thin man spoke with a grin on his thin and shrewd face.

"Scias Mallor yo-" Darus was ready to lash out at the man when he felt Fiona's hand on his pauldron, stopping him.

"Yes Lord Darus ?" Mallor asked, faking innocence.

"It is nothing Lord Mallor. We are just here for the council meeting if you must excuse us." Fiona spoke in her gentle yet dignified tone, suiting the woman of her position.

The four guards gave a gentle bow to Fiona as she came forth and started walking towards the door.

Mallor stepped in her way stopping her. Darus was infuriated by the disrespect and was ready to summon his sword but he was stopped by the former queen's raised hand.

"It pains me much your Highness, but I could not let you pass." the pain mentioned nowhere to be seen in Mallor's shrewd face.

Fiona glanced behind at the four guards as they shuffled hesitantly, she even recognized one of them 'Grey' was his name if she remembers correctly. He had served her late husband for almost a decade.

She took a deep breath, and spoke with her usual calm- "May I ask for the reason for such inconvenience we both have to bear Lord Mallor?"

"I am sorry yet again your Highness but I just follow orders from our King and not ask any questions, as a subject should."

"So I suppose then the King himself asked you not let his advisor enter the council room ?" Fiona spoke crossing her arms.

"The invitations are must to enter the council room and I suppose the king hadn't send you one."

"Scias Mallor how dare you." Darus was really out of patience, he raised his hand and in the next second, a large sword with shinning green intricated symbols formed in his hand, coalescing from thin air. The sword complemented his monstrous armor perfectly, he looked like a general from the legends.

The four-guard raised their swords guarding Mallor, but they very well knew they weren't enough to stop the Darus. He had been named the 'Death Blade' by the previous king himself and had lived up to the expectation in countless battles.

"Darus" the queen spoke aloud, stopping Darus on his course.

Fiona knew Mallor's intentions, he was trying to defame them and strip Darus of his God armor.

"Oh my, I see the rumors of the 'Death blade' being old and weak seem so untrue. You at least look as intimidating as ever. But what I am worried is about the King and what he would do when he hears that 'Death Blade' killed his loyal subject for following orders." Mallor spoke with a subtle smile on his face. "He will be charged as that of a traitor as I remember the laws, correct me if I am wrong your majesty."

"Yeah you are right Lord Mallor, my father was the one who coined the law. But there are other laws too, one out of many is as I remember correctly is you cannot stop the king's advisor from entering into the council meetings, without King's direct orders." Fiona looked at Mallor, he still had a smug on his face and she had a bad feeling about it.

"Your majesty is as sharp as ever in her understanding of the laws." Mallor leisurely took out a paper and handed it to the former queen.

Fiona's eye's moved over the paper, reading every bit of it carefully.

It mentioned that the King himself had vested full power to Scias Mallor on choosing the participants of the council meeting.

Fiona wanted to deny that the seal on the papers or the signature on them were fake but the reality was always not one wanted it to be.

Darus on the side was fuming with anger, ready to behead the old fox beside them.

Fiona's scorn leaked only for a second, then calming her nerves she spoke with her usual tone- "If only you would have shown us this sooner, we wouldn't have wasted precious time of your." she gave a gentle bow to Scias Mallor "Let's leave brother it seems our presence is not required among the wise councilmen of this glorious kingdom." she started walking off, but not without giving grim look to Mallor.

Darus on the other hand was rather open in his scorn and spat on the ground before following the former queen.

Scias entered the council room,

"Has she left? She won't bother us any futher ?" a short, fat man asked. His stomach, ready to bulge out of his silk shirt at any moment.

"Left, but not broken yet Lord Kanok."

Seeing Kanok's expressions somber Scias continued- "But worry not my old friend, her influence has decreased, she is standing on a cliff just one push away from being no one in Ablon." with a wide grin he continued "shall we give her one last push then."

"Yes, Scias yes... everyone will help you, just remove her from our paths." Kanok spoke excitedly his gold teeth shining brightly just like his eyes.