Complicating Things - 8

The next day, the trio of nights thanked Ella for her hospitality before leaving the village the way they came.

Geha, it was a village they'd remember. Ella's kindness had left a mark on them, despite it's short life time.

They waved to the widow as they left, silently promising to come visit her again.

"You gave her the gift I told you too, right?"

Hadrian nodded at the lieutenant's words. "Yes Sir, she seemed rather pleased with it."

"Good, now let's head back and report this to his Majesty."

Gairon and Hadrian nodded and followed behind Sylace.

...

In Sepsel, the gates swing open at Sylace's arrival. He and his comrades made their way once again to the king's audience room and began giving a report of the event.

"The Golden-Goddess Company..." The words danced on Halil's lips, their meaning amplified by the man who spoke them.

Impending war, chaos, tears, blood. All these words could be associated to the company for the simple reason that their name had left the advisor's mouth, out of Halil's mouth.

No family, no past, no riches, Halil was a tall and slender eunuch that had served as the First Advisor ever since king Deren first took the throne.

He appeared during the war and fell armies in kind Deren's name. His devotion to the kind was obvious, even suspicious at times.

"Damn Elmer and damn his f**king company. If they dare rebel then we'll bring the steel and blood. How quickly can the Executive Order gather twenty thousand men?"

King Deren's face was red with rage. Almost a decade of peace and this was the thanks he recieved. It was the greatest form of mockery.

To him, if the Golden-Goddess company couldn't handle him being a gentle king, then he'd remind them of who he was, of who he had been when he took the throne with his own bloody hands.

"Not too fast, an all out war with Elmer isn't the best idea. They have more resources at their disposal then you'd imagine." The eunuch was right, a war against Elmer would be bloody on both sides.

Only Deren had more to lose.

He snorted at Halil's words. "Fine, I trust you to handle this your way. But if I get another letter about those f**king rebellions then I'll take Elmer's head myself."

"As you wish, my Lord."

The advisor smiled at his king before guiding the three knights out.

"This is going to be a pain." Sylace sighed once they had left the palace.

"I second that, this is turning out to be alot more troubling than I imagined." Hadrian replied.

"But don't you find it a little strange?" Gairon's face slightly twisted in confusion, as if something didn't exactly fit right.

"4672 years, that's how many years the Golden-Goddess company has remained loyal to the crown. No matter who stood on the throne, no matter how wicked, the company always stood by their side.

"Their identity as Zegrow's most loyal company is something they pride themselves on.

"But now they rebel? It just doesn't make sense."

Sylace had thought the same thing. The Golden-Goddess company's loyalty wasn't something that could easily be lost.

"Unless, the company isn't the real threat." Hadrian suggested. "Maybe they're being manipulated into being a distraction while a much larger threat takes us by surprise."

"Possibly." Sylace acknowledges. "But who would dare?"

"That, my friend, I can-"

"HELP! HELP!"

A shout tore through the city streets. Sylace felt his heart drop, he recognized the voice. It was a voice he knew better than anyone. It was young and feminine, bursting with innocence.

But now that voice was full of fear, despair, and frustration.

"PLEASE, SOMEONE HELP ME! IT'S LADY KIOSHIN, SHE'S... SHE'S..."

Lily Archibold couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence, crumbling to her knees infront of her brother.

Her eyes were blood-shot red from how much she had been crying, she fell unconscious the very second her knees touched the ground.

She was exhausted.