chapter 20

The new day had come. James walked by the castle here and there along with the two knights without any purpose. He was ready to leave. The scheduled day to leave was that day. James walked by the door and looked at the vast paintings. He did not know where he was but the room was splendid to the eyes, especially a one that had been invested much in staying indoor. James looked at the golden outlining of the paintings and the floral designs of the indicators. The name mentioned was that of the goddess, a beautiful maiden with her hands full of blood as she held an open heart away from the crowd and a handful of grains in the hands towards the people. James went further to see objects of no magical design but valued thusly. The ornaments had weird names, death parody, day of the night, lightning maidens ring, goddess's death-bringer…

A knight had come to James and bowed to him. He was informed that the third princess was leaving her room and had requested him to leave his as to make the front gates in time. James waited no further and followed the knight till the front gates. He saw an annoyed princess standing among a huge number of guards, fifty, no, forty of them. James smiled and went towards the princess and bowed slightly. The princess bowed herself to the newly appointed lord.

Ruby: Lord James! The title seems to fit you fine.

James: It might seem to some of the friendly eyes to mine your highness. We might as well as continue this conversation inside the carriage.

Ruby: A hand, your lord.

James extended his hands and helped the princess onto the carriage. It was much bigger than the magical one Selena had as a family heirloom. A pity to the world that the ancient magic able to replicate such works were no longer known to any man alive. James climbed in after her and closed the door. The feeling of movement was felt and the windows were opened to clarify the same. Seeing the action of others being satisfiable in need towards the goal, James decided to indulge himself in a book. He had taken one from his extradimensional space as there was no library there.

Ruby: Is there a need to do so my Lord? Is my company that boring to you.

James closed the book and kept it in his lap and looked across the room to where the princess had been seated.

James: The reasons to read are many. Given the past between us, what might you expect to happen. If it conceivable to my mind I shall fulfil my duties.

Ruby: Be we may have had our past time as enemies to the fullest, wouldn't you thing that it be better if we can spend the journey happily by having some friendly conversation. There might be no need to be friends after the travel. Just because we are trying to kill each other imply that we shouldn't be having fun together.

James: Intriguing, just intriguing. No other person in this world or in the world of books had said the words so magnificent that I had an urge to stop reading.

Ruby: How if the queen had commanded to stop reading. And certainly, you have not read many novels I suppose.

James: It is true that I have not read many novels and I may not in the future too. But when the queen or someone higher commands you to do something, you do in accord to the fear in something you have. Here I had the feeling of leaving the world of the books and listen to the words that leave your mouth.

Ruby: Truly you flatter me my lord. Would you consider it possible for a fox to wed a rabbit?

James: The alliance of marriage would feed the fox of many enemies of the rabbit and the rabbit will be crowned the queen of her folk. But this fox is already told for in marriage.

Ruby: There are times when the fox walks out of a marriage and joins one.

James: There are foxes, and there is a fox.

Ruby: True.

James: What would be the nature of the conversation we are supposed to have?

Ruby: The meaning of my words is not to be meant as to have a forceful conversation. But if there exists anything that needs to be spoken, we should be able to do so.

James: True. Then I might as well as continue with my book.

Ruby: Sure.

Time had passed by unnoticed to the either two. James had been reading the book properly and when was asked to join the table for food, he had accepted it without any remorse. He did have the medicines for poisons anyway. It had been nearly a day. James looked through the window but did not see the fortress he had owned. He saw one of the guards turning, being injured and leaving from the party.

James: Where is the fortress of the two generals?

Ruby: We are going through a different path. The path to the merchant city is always tricky. We need to follow the map properly.

James: They might as well as have built a road since it is a big wasteland. One might wonder why this space was not used for buildings.

Ruby: There is a saying in the past. The wasteland that you mention of was once a big part of the kingdom of Fenrir when men ruled it. The problems arose when different races had many wars. The fact is that the area was cleared as there came a complete war of all the races.

James: Are you saying that there was a time when men was considered to be above women.

Ruby: We don't talk it to the outside people, but that was the truth. The truth only told to the line of Senviness. All the others were forced to forget this part of the history.

James: If I may pry further, why is the land still unused.

Ruby: This land is where the metal army rests. The whole of the further lands was cleared and left away after the coming of the queendom as there was a possibility of warfare. The resting place doesn't take much place but after the army is summoned, they need to be arranged in ranks. The rest of the battlefield is left as to wage war properly and to the fact that our strategies work the best when it is mainland. The coming of the metal army scared the other invaders and it is said that they still covet this land and is building weapons to take it.

James: The metal army is powerful enough that there is no need for strategies.

Ruby: It took all the academia students of the then Fenrir academy to build the army. After a substantial number were made, they were asked to create each other. If the true power of all the rulers are used then the world will cease to exist.

James: It is a scary thought but I have to not listen to it.

Ruby: Let me give you a piece of advice as you might need it in the future. Against what army is the metal army worthless.

James: Purely magical army.

Ruby: So, you knew it.

James: One learns things when he gets curious.

Ruby: Just a warning. Never destroy a metal warrior because there is no way to remake or fix them.

James: So, if in a war the army is destroyed the people are done for.

Ruby: Two hundred fifty thousand is a big number.

James: It makes me thing of the fanatic who made that many soldiers in comparison to the population of the people.

Ruby: There was a time when the population exceeded even tens of millions. Whence even the farthest of the lands was under us, when we even floating colonies on the sea,

James: Considering the enemies the power of the queendom hasn't deteriorated.

Ruby: Comparison is not the measure of power.

James: Why is it that I am hearing the clashing of the blades?

James went over to the window and saw that people the soldier were attacking wasn't much powerful.

James: The knights can deal with them.

Ruby: True. So can the Senviness with the males.

Ruby took a knife and stabbed herself in her gut. He looked at James with vengeance.

Ruby: Soldiers, help me. The lord is trying to kill me!

James rushed forward and tried to catch the knife. It burned his hands. James looked into the eyes of the princess. James started a healing spell on the wound. The wound started to heal but he was hit in the back. James jumped outside and summoned his sword. He looked at the soldiers. No single one of the enemies had been dead but seemed to be with the guards. James had his weapon ready not wanting to hurt anyone innocent.

Ruby walked outside and took out a vial and drank it. She took the knife again and stabbed herself in the heart.

Ruby: Let it be spread that Lord James had turned a traitor and killed the third princess.

Ruby fell down. James tried to heal her silently but there seemed to that she had taken poison. There was no way he was able to convince her to live. The scheme was perfect. There was no way he will be able to escape unscathed. One of the soldiers advanced and swing her sword. He blocked it but his sword was unevenly matched. Artefacts. The princess had even arranged artefacts to her guards to have him killed. James fury rose. He turned to the darkness and caught the woman in front of him with his bare hands. The woman dropped dead in front of him. Everyone else decided to attack him with long range attacks. James spread his aura of destruction around and saw all of the soldiers collapse as they died. James looked into the eyes of the princess.

James approached the princess and touched her head. She was still alive but there was no way she would be able to live for a long time. James used his magic and accessed her mind. Countless thoughts began to flow within his mind until he latched onto a recent memory.

Ruby was sitting in a room unknown to her. Every time there appeared something the queen wished to speak, she was blindfolded and brought here. The room was dark and surely had many dark walls, the light that shone was pale yellow, an odd choice in the matter. She looked into the impeding darkness as the light was not enough. This was always the tactic and she did not like it at all. There was no way she was happy about it. Always forced to wait and being made to feel like she was a trash by her aunt, or to be called in terms of society, her mother.

Ariadne walked and sat on the chair in front of Ruby and put a pear from the table into her mouth. Ruby had not stood to respect her and continued eating the food. After some time had elapsed the queen looked at the princess and smiled.

Ariadne: I am going to make James a Lord.

What did it mean? Was she going to have to suffer a man being higher than her? She remembered the times when the men had behaved poorly to her, until she had taken courage one day and ordered her knight who was a woman to slay him. No other man had disrespected her again in the future. Men had always stayed away from her as she was the third princess. But the days were bright till there came a dark being to haunt her. She did not want a man to be in power. She remembered the moto of her family taught through the generations. Let men be condemned and enslaved into the world. Let the women rule above all.

Ruby: Clearly you are joking.

Ruby had stammered. She had always been in a war of words with the queen and she had stammered.

Ariadne: You need not worry over such trifle matters. We have always dealt with men in the past and we shall in the future.

Ruby regained her might and looked straight into the eyes of the queen. The witch that had made her mother die.

Ariadne: Do we really need to have another of these staring contests. The facts are clear. I am making him a lord. If I had met him in my prime, I would have married him.

Ruby: It is another thing we need in the equation. A man who is a lord and a general being the consort to the queen.

Ariadne: True. The fun in such a war would be infinite. Except he is not interested in breaking his engagement with the Rookwoods.

Ruby: What are the plans to subdue him?

Ariadne: Nothing actually. Let him live. Let him die.

Ruby: Ariadne. Are you telling me you do not have a plan to have him removed? Do you mean to tell me that he is to roam in the castle being a powerful and ordering people like me?

Ariadne: Do not call me by my name. I am going to close my eyes to this insolence as you were clearly out of your mind right now. As for the factor of removing him there is no way to do so. He never has had any sexual relationship with someone other than his wife. He never did any wrong. We cannot plant evidence in the court as magic can easily dissolve it. The only possible way is to wait back to let him get into some mess.

Ruby: Even if he raped me tomorrow there will be no ruling of the matter. There is no way I am going to let that slide. How about assassination. That was how we had removed the person the last time.

Ariadne: His power is too high to be assassinated.

Ruby: You mean to tell me he had higher power than the assassins in youth organisation that kills people every time you move your finger.

Ariadne: There is no need for such praises. The fact is that he has his own group of assassins trailing him for his protection. If it had been the time of the men, he would have become king by now.

Ruby: What do you mean?

Ariadne: I think it is time you know the true history. Thousands of years back, there was a time when Fenrir was ruled by the men. Women were considered nothing but animals to be mounted for fun and forced to plough in the fields. This was a time when the civilisation was high. The buildings were still high and exquisite, jewellery was still made, a few women had outer power but in their houses their husbands did not provide them with much respect. The only difference that brought this world into existence was the absence of magic. There was no magic in the world and the men being powerful in combat rules it.

Ariadne: Time had passed by until one old man came to the capital. He had demanded an audience with the King and was provided with thusly. He said to be a wise man and to possess powers. He said to have journeyed the world and have found the secret of the mystical arts. While everyone laughed and one of the guards came to throw him out, he had called onto air and removed him from his presence. He put forth his demand of wanting to start an academy and teach the other students magic.

Ariadne: After twenty years of hard work, the then castle was filled with charms to be a school for magic. Women were found to have better affinity to magic and were trained so. Along with magic were taught the ideas of philosophy and justice. A few years passed until the old man died. A woman had been choses the principal of the school and the King and the people were angry. Time passed by as the students developed soldiers. That is how the metal soldiers came into being. Then the men there wanted the women to rise. We rose and declared war. We won against those barbarians. The rules were established. We learned that the men who had sided with us treated their women as the previous men had. We had no other option but to kill all the men who had been with us.

Ariadne: We made sure men never rose. The new royal family and the noble-women were chosen. New rules were made. It did say that men and women were equal but we made sure that no man was able to earn power. Slowly the history was rewritten and the current state came into being. If that man things with his brain rather than his bodily pleasures, he will overthrow the Queendom and make sure men get to rule again. He must be checked and controlled. He must die.

Ruby: The story is good.

Ruby continued her drink as though nothing had happened. Nothing did happen according to her. The things of the past did not matter to her and she did not want to know how men were then. She knew that James could not be trusted and she did not indeed. She rose to leave. Ariadne showed her hand to the table. She looked with powerful eyes and an unknown force made her sit.

Ariadne: There is only one way to make sure James is killed. Declare him a traitor to the queen.

Ruby: Whatever be, I am in support of you. You need not worry but say the word.

Ariadne: I want you to go to the merchant city as an envoy with Lord James, that is after I award him the Lordship/

Ruby: Not going to happen. He could overpower me.

Ariadne: You will commit suicide and the guards will claim you to have been killed by the man with you.

Ruby rose to leave and reached the door. She felt a pull in her back and was elevated into the air. She was dropped to her knees. She was slightly losing the control of her body and even her mind.

Ariadne: I am going to make sure you die. Two fishes with one bait. You will be controlled by me.

Ruby closed her eyes slightly as it was already becoming dark whatever she saw. The last thing she saw was a smiling queen who eating a pear.

James opened his eyes in anger. Life essence had passed on from the body of the princess. He looked into the lands and saw nothing. The horses were still tied to the chariot, but he would not be able to return to the queendom. He would be hunted down to his death. His position as a general would be revoked. James wanted to think fast. He knew the second princess will still be his enemy. He summoned his metal army of fifty thousand and looked onto them. He wanted to destroy them. He went to one of the soldiers and fed raw magical power into the soldier and it exploded. He did not have much power to destroy all of these beings. He knew what had to be done. He looked at the red commander.

James: These are the direct commands and keep on doing it till you receive otherwise. Keep going north till you reach the elves nation and destroy them. Keep going north again and destroy the goblin nation. Keep going north until you reach the human nation and keep on going north destroying whatever kingdom comes in the path.

The soldiers turned and started marching. He was sure the soldiers would stop after he reached the end of the world. Either the soldiers would fall down into the end or stop and be stationed there. The army was dealt with. He was sure the princess was going to revoke his power and use it herself. It was not going to work.

James: Agni.

Agni appeared besides him and it happened rather fast. Seeing the bewildered look on the face of James, she explained.

Agni: I have summoned an army of fire elementals along with the servers to do your bidding. That has made me more attached to this world.

James heard the information and smiled. The queen might have her army of automates. But the fire elementals were considered to be of pure magic. He was on equal terms with the queen in terms of power.

James: Take me to my castle.

James had walked through the fire that had appeared in front of him. He looked to see the nothing but rocks. He tried seeing through the illusion magic and saw a beautiful castle made of orange-red materials. He was not able to tell what it was. James walked into the castle through the illusion and saw the wonderful array of soldiers. Extradimensional space. The armies were all of fire elementals. They were aligned to form ranks. They had taken different shaped and forms but he did see many human shaped fire elementals in the back.

Agni: Do not worry my lord. They all can transform into a human and use their powers.

James: It is wonderful. Just the home I had wanted.

Agni said in a really loud voice.

Agni: The dark lord has returned.

All the members cheered loudly. James looked at his army and raised his hands. He brought his spear and raised it high, a display of power. He looked at the sword hung by hilt and threw it to the ground. Agni took it and destroyed it. James wanted to relinquish his seal but he knew that the army would then return from the farthest place.

James smiled at the silent crowd and spoke.

James: We are going to war.

All the soldiers roared and got ready. They had their weapons ready and saluted the great ruler. James smiled into the air.