Kate IV

The days wore on, one after another, in an endless blur of suffering and agony. Kate and the other prisoners were shackled to posts on an upraised wooden platform in the center of Cerulean Falls. They set an example for all the other slaves, who were forcibly marched in front of their platform and made to look upon the six fools who had tried and failed to escape.

Plenty of soldiers stopped by to sneer at them, throwing rocks and rotten vegetables, taunts and insults. Kate was bruised and sore from the blunt objects. Her companions were no better off. A large stone had connected with Carter's skull, knocking him unconscious. Nobody checked on him and he hung limp for a whole day straight before groggily waking up again, with no memory of the past. Of all their tormentors, Hedge was among their most frequent visitors, having shed his disguise of being a prisoner like them. Just as Kate had suspected, Hedge was a spearman in Griffeth's service. Kate still hated herself for not noticing sooner that it was all a trap. She had been a huge fool, blindly believing that a lowly prisoner had somehow managed to steal the guards' keys. I should have seen right away that it was too good to be true. I should have noticed Hedge was a traitor earlier. But instead I failed, playing right into their little game. The hunters of Cerulean Falls had gotten a good laugh out of their successful ruse. They had gloated over the victory during their journey from the caves all the way back to the castle.

Upon returning to Cerulean Falls, Sir Melvin had cast a disappointed glance at her. Later that night he visited, pretending to hurl rotten vegetables at Kate while whispering such that the others nearby could not hear. "You should have stayed put. I told you not to draw attention to yourself," the knight had sighed.

Melvin had not been aware of the plan to snuff out unruly prisoners and there was no way he could have informed her. However, now that she was caught there was nothing he could do for her. Melvin had cast one last sad glance at Kate, then promised he would continue fighting for the other slaves' freedom. There was nothing he could do for her now, but at least if he proved himself in the upcoming war he might be able to help free other slaves before it was too late for them as well.

Kate's hopes of escape had died with her capture. She had long since given up on her dream of being free again. Now she was only resigned to endure through the rest of her suffering. Just a few more days and death will set me free. . . Kate was given a tiny cup of water every day and no food at all. She felt herself growing weaker by the hour, crawling closer and closer to her release.

The hunters had singled Xeris out as their leader, so he was the first to be executed. Although Kate's memories were all starting to blur together, she distinctly remembered the morning where they had unchained the large man and dragged him off the platform, throwing him face-first into the muddy ground. Weak and malnourished as he was, Xeris had struggled to his feet and tried to run away. . . though he didn't get far.

Although the Protectors of Man treated their prisoners like dirt, the same could not be said for their animals. Their raptors were strong and healthy, lean muscular predators with glossy feathers and sharp sickle claws. They set five of them after Xeris. The monsters were well-fed, so instead of directly killing the prisoner they had taken some time to toy with their food first. All the raptors easily outpaced Xeris, cutting off his escape route every time he tried to run in a different direction. Kate still remembered the way they hooted and gurgled to one another, their cold reptilian eyes hungry for blood. Finally when they got bored of playing with the slave, the alpha raptor pounced on his back, sending Xeris sprawling on the ground. That broke the spell. Suddenly all the other raptors attacked their prey, slashing and shredding him into bloody ribbons. Kate could not get Xeris's mangled screams out of her mind, nor the sight of him being torn limb from limb and eaten alive.

Every few days the Protectors executed another prisoner. They used different methods every time, putting on a spectacle for the soldiers and slaves of Cerulean Falls alike. It provided entertainment for the garrison, and instilled fear in the prisoners who knew they could just as easily meet the same fate. The next two men were set free from their posts at the same time, each given a spear and told to fight to the death. After a few half-hearted jabs and parries, the two gave up and refused to kill each other, perhaps hoping to escape with their newly acquired weapons. The Protectors of Man had been expecting this.

A roaring therizinosaurus burst out of a cage and charged for the two combatants, its long and deadly claws outstretched. The spears proved ineffective against the rampaging herbivore. With a few deft strokes of its infamous claws, the therizinosaurus cleaved the spears into splintered chunks of wood and steel, rending off hands and arms in the process. The two prisoners shrieked in pain and tried to run, but were easily hacked down where they stood. Bloody chunks of flesh, bones, and organs were strewn everywhere around the plaza. That took a whole day to clean up.

Kate stared at the bloody remains distantly. She knew it might eventually be her fate, and she was unsure whether she wanted it or not. As the long days wore on, all she could do was hope that her death was next and that it would be a quick and merciful one. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately depending on the way you looked at it, she was passed over for the man on her left. He was pitted against a carnotaurus bull, obviously standing little chance against the huge predator. The carno disemboweled him with its blunt horns in a headlong charge, then gulped up the remains of his body. At least this time there was not much of a mess for the prisoners to get rid of.

And then it was only her and Carter shackled to their posts. Two where there had once been six. Kate stared miserably at the empty posts, wondering if they had found peace in whatever afterlife might exist. Is it better on the other side? She wanted to ask them. Are we free to spend the rest of eternity in peace, or does the Island have other cruel plans for us? As Lord Keith looked over the two prisoners the next day, Kate prayed that she would be chosen. To her dismay, she was skipped over yet again. Carter was dragged off the wooden platform and thrown on the ground, to the feet of Inferno himself. The massive black tyrannosaurus rex glowered down at its prey, then almost gently locked its jaws around Carter's shoulder and threw its head back, swallowing the man whole. Just like that, Kate's last friend was gone and she was left alone on the plaza of atonement.

As Kate sat there alone waiting for her death, she reflected over her time on the Island. What did I do to deserve this fate? I must have been a terrible person in my previous life to get sent to this hell. My time here has been full of nothing but suffering. She looked up at the sky wistfully. Please, to whatever god might be listening, grant me a complacent afterlife. I know I must have sinned atrociously in the past but I'm sure I made up for it now. She felt tears running down her cheeks. I'm sorry for anything I did. I swear on my life, whatever little that means to you, that I'm a changed person now.

Kate waited and waited for the day of her execution to arrive. Every hour seemed to stretch on forever. Her stomach gnawed with hollow pain, and all her limbs were sore from the awkward position she had been shackled to the post. A few guards hurled rocks at her one evening and she took the punishment without so much as a whimper. Her body had already suffered enough. She just prayed and prayed that she would end up in a better place once this was all over.

While she waited she drifted in and out of sleep. For once her dreams were relatively peaceful. Memories of the beach and the ocean, the jungles and the forest. She dreamt that she was back at Fort Pine en route to the Hotspring Hold. Her reality became blurred with fantasy. She thought she saw a group of northerners ride into Cerulean Falls with megaloceros, wooly rhinos, and chalicotherium, but she could not be sure if it was still a dream. The northerners carried a white banner and disappeared just as quickly as they arrived. Kate did not see them again.

Then, the next morning, Kate knew it was finally her time to go. She had a gut feeling that everything would be different soon, that she would be freed from her chains and delivered to a new life. Let it be a peaceful existence, she prayed as the sun slowly climbed into the sky. Kate saw Lord Keith and some of his soldiers walking about the base, checking up on their carnivorous mounts. Probably deciding which of them to release upon me. The group seemed to mull beside an allosaurus. After a brief pause they began unhitching the monster from its pen. The creature had shiny golden scales and a creamy underbelly. Kate was transfixed on its mesmerizing golden glean, happy that her time had come at last.

Just when the group had released the monster from its pen, there came a loud chorus of horns and trumpets from outside the walls. Kate tilted her head up. Was that just in my head too? It sounded like music. . . No, the others definitely heard it too. A guard ran down from the watchtower to warn Keith of something. The Lord of Cerulean Falls listened for a few moments, then his face seemed to go pale. He immediately began barking orders at the other soldiers, the allosaurus completely forgotten. Strange, Kate thought. What could possibly scare Keith? She dared not get too hopeful, but a small voice at the back of her head whispered that this might be an attack from enemy forces. I might get rescued today.

The front gates were pulled open and the incoming group was being ushered in. Kate craned her neck to see them better. Two gallimimus riders were the first to enter, each bearing white and blue banners. Kate squinted at the design and realized it was an inverted version of Keith's banners; a white tyrannosaurus rex against a blue background. Next came a column of parasaur knights, maybe close to thirty or forty. Their mounts were all brightly coloured creatures, ranging from green to orange to purple. The knights wore shiny white armour and blue capes, their heather shields bearing the same sigil as before. Following the column of steel riders came yet even more knights, though these ones were much higher-ranking from the looks of their mounts. Eight carnotaurus riders streamed in through the gate, followed by four more knights on allosaurus. Each of the carnivores wore reinforced saddles with steel plate and blue tabards hanging off the side.

More trumpeters entered, playing a roaring crescendo to announce the grand entrance of a massive white tyrannosaurus rex with hints of blue accented along its spine. It must have been just as large, if not larger than Inferno. The titan was just barely able to squeeze between the massive gates, an impressive feat even for such a creature. The rider of the tyrannosaurus rex wore the most exquisitely detailed armour that Kate had ever seen, with what looked like white flowers and vines enameled into the steel plate. A golden crown rested on his head, inlaid with all sorts of colorful and precious jewels. Kate stared at the beautiful king, as did many other inhabitants of Cerulean Falls.

However, her attention quickly returned to the gate when she saw not one, but two more tyrannosaurus rexes following behind the first. One of the monsters was pitch black with purple accents; the other a camouflage dark green. The riders of the beasts were armored in white steel, just as everyone that had entered before. Aside from that, there was nothing particularly impressive about them. Their mounts were smaller than the first tyrannosaurus too, but still huge and menacing nonetheless. Their massive heads swivelled to take in the compound and they stayed close behind the white alpha.

By now the inhabitants of Cerulean Falls, guards and slaves alike, were kneeling down to respect the king. And while that was happening, yet even more apex predators were entering through the front gate. A new set of banner bearers rode through, this time carrying the sigil of a green tyrannosaurus rex against a golden field. However, what followed the gallimimus through the gates was not in fact a tyrannosaurus rex, but instead a trio of spinosaurus. The first one was a dazzling blue colour, as beautiful and mesmerizing as the sea. It had splashes of every shade, from the dark navy colours of the ocean depths, to the lighter azures and ceruleans of tide pools. The huge sail on its back was a mellow cyan shade, like the gentle green sea foam that coalesced on the beaches. Its rider wore shiny white armour inlaid with designs of tides and sea foam, highlighted in light blue and green enamel. His face was hidden beneath a visored helmet but Kate could tell he was important just from the fine craftsmanship of his armour. Perhaps a high-ranking Lord or General of the army.

The next spinosaurus was an ashy grey, like the churning waters of river rapids. Its sail was softer, almost a creamy white colour, pleasing to look upon. The last spinosaurus was a fair bit less appealing, a murky brown creature that looked like mud or at the very best, a dead driftwood tree. The three spinosaurus stopped in the middle of the courtyard behind the three rexes from earlier. It was starting to get crowded with all the apex predators gathered tightly in the center.

Yet even more animals were still pouring into the compound. More carnivores, but this time stranger creatures that Kate had only briefly heard Cara describe to her. Things from the swamps like baryonyx, sarcosuchus, and kaprosuchus. Kate was both intrigued and a little unnerved by the strange mire dwellers. The knights on their backs wore light green capes instead of the blue from earlier. After them came more creatures she was already familiar with, like parasaurs, trikes, and stegosaurus. The parasaurs were mounted by more knights in white armor and flowing green capes, while the trikes and stegosaurus were manned by teams of soldiers in chainmail. The larger herbivores had wooden platforms and baskets on their backs that allowed them to carry small teams of archers and crossbowmen. Kate watched the show of strength with awe and terror. So these must be the Protectors' other armies. I had heard something about them having multiple and not just the branch under Lord Keith.

Kate gradually lost interest in the proceedings entering the gate, instead focusing her attention back on the King in the fancy ornate armor. He had dismounted from his pale white mount and was currently talking with Keith. Neither were too pleased from the look of it. To Kate it almost seemed like an argument, with the King resting a disappointed palm on his forehead, and Keith with a scowl on his face. Suddenly, after a wave of his hand, the King started walking toward her platform. Keith followed behind him like a dog trailing after its master, tail tucked between its legs.

Kate's heart started pounding as she suddenly found herself the center of the King's attention. His retinue of guards and servants were also staring at her with a mixture of pity and disgust. Kate was used to such looks. While the King was looking at her, she took the opportunity to get a good look back at him. He was a handsome middle-aged man, perhaps in his late thirties or early forties. He had short auburn hair and light blue eyes, a sharp nose and stubble around his jaw. Unlike the others he didn't seem particularly disgusted. Only tired, and perhaps a little angry.

The King turned to Keith. "Would you care to explain the meaning of this?"

Keith glanced at her darkly. "This man tried escaping from Cerulean Falls. I made sure him and his companions were all punished accordingly to set an example for the other slaves."

"That's a woman you fool." The King sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Kate's anxiety only spiked upward when the man saw right through her disguise. The King looked back at her with a bit more compassion, frowning. "And who would blame her for trying to escape this awful place? You've done enough damage to these poor souls."

Lord Keith's face was taut and he glowered at her for deceiving him. Kate did not overlook the way he was wringing his hands together, nor how his teeth were clenched. She stood perfectly still, terrified of what Keith might be planning to do with her. Luckily, she did not need to fear.

"You must have gone through hell," The King said to her softly. He turned to his servants. "Get her down from there and tend to all her needs. You can send her to my meeting room after."

Kate rubbed her wrists as the chains slid off. Fearing it was too good to be true, she followed the servants quickly and quietly, before the King could change his mind. However, a quick backwards glance revealed he was dead set on the decision to set her free. The King had turned back to arguing with Keith. Kate averted her attention back to the trail, trying not to get her hopes too high up in case it turned out to be another trap.

The serving men led her all the way to the castle sitting above the waterfall. Kate had never been inside the place herself. Only Keith's closest followers and a select few slaves who had duties directly related to tending to the castle were allowed inside. The servants brought her to a room on the first floor and handed her over to two maids, who showered her with looks of pity and quickly understood the situation. They were both older women, probably slaves who had been in captivity for years upon years. They looked sad, though no sadder than most, but also relatively content at their work.

The maids took Kate under their care, directing her to a washtub and scrubbing all the dirt and grime from her skin. She froze upon being touched but convinced herself to relax. These were other women. They wouldn't hurt her. And as they worked, the two maids gossipped about the new arrivals to the courtyard. Kate realized just how much she missed hearing female voices after so many months among males. It made her think of her friend Cara, whom she had only known for a day and a half, yet was the first person to show compassion to her on the Island. Kate could not help but eavesdrop on what the maids were saying.

"The King himself rode all the way out here?" The younger maid said.

"I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. But with that huge ruckus, it's hard to deny. That's the Great Uniter himself. They're still out there in the courtyard if you want another look."

"I saw. But why? Why come all the way out to Cerulean Falls when he's never cared to visit before?"

"Lord Keith did something wrong mayhaps. I saw him being scolded like a lost child. Ha!" The older maid cackled. "The sight of it will stay in my head until the day I die. Would that I could hear what they were saying."

"Do you think the King will stay long?" The younger maid pestered insistently.

"If you look at that retinue he brought with him, I'd say he's here to stay for the next while. The man brought a whole army. Two in fact. Those men flying the green banners were Lord Vincent's men, and I daresay the rider of that blue spinosaurus was Lord Vincent himself."

Kate shivered. She had noticed it as well. The forces gathered below were all the Protectors of Man, but the different armies carried different flags. The King's army were the ones with blue. There weren't many of them, but each and every one of those knights looked highly trained and their mounts looked just as deadly. Keith's army used the red flags. The ones Kate had gotten to know over the past few months, much to her chagrin. They were thugs and brutes and criminals, but highly capable fighters nonetheless. And finally, the newcomers with green heraldry. If she were to guess based on their mounts, they were from the swamps. And the mysterious Lord Vincent she had just heard of must be their leader.

"They're rivals, aren't they? Keith and Vincent? I heard there's bad blood between them." The younger maid said.

"Aye. The animosity between those two Great Generals is no secret. Which makes me think something must be really wrong for the two to be here together."

"What do they need three armies for?" Kate asked the maids. "Are they preparing some campaign?"

The two realized they were probably saying too much and immediately got quiet. "It isn't our place to guess," the older maid said. "Best you don't go around asking those soldiers the same question or you're like to get us all in trouble."

After that, the two maids finished cleaning her quickly and quietly, not so much as another word between them. They were friendly enough however, and offered Kate some food and water in the kitchens. She wolfed the food down hungrily, having starved silently for over a week. Kate's stomach began hurting after a few too many bites though, so she reluctantly stopped gorging herself on the leftover beef and bread. Instead she downed a few cups of water. It had felt like ages since she last ate this well. Just as Kate was finishing her meal, a soldier knocked on the door to come retrieve her. It was one of the King's personal guards with the blue crest and cape, wielding a frightening steel halberd. Kate thanked the maids for their service and quickly followed the tall guard, not wanting to get in any more trouble.

They entered a meeting room where the King and Lord Vincent were casually seated. There was a huge war map in the center of the rectangular table, a bright colorful piece that immediately drew Kate's eyes. But over her time in captivity she had learned to be wary. Instead of fixating on the first thing that drew her attention, she instinctively glanced around the room to look at everything else. There were royal guards lining the walls, eight in total. Their faces were completely concealed by steel helmets. They stood so perfectly still that they might have been confused for statues.

When the King saw her, he quickly stood up. Lord Vincent, now helmetless, also stood with his liege and smiled. He looked like a cunning man with the vigour of youth, handsome and charming, but with a gleam in his eyes that made Kate shudder. She did not let herself be fooled by his fancy armor or pretty face. Kate could tell he was a dangerous man.

But so was the King. Kate glanced back at him. There was nothing that outwardly seemed off about him. He didn't radiate hostility like Keith or seem as if he was hiding some dark secret like Vincent. . . but Kate knew for a fact that she should not underestimate this calm, calculating man. He was the head of a nation for a reason.

"You've been treated well, I hope." The King said to her. "Tell me, what's your name?"

Kate struggled to find her words at first, uncomfortable in the face of such attention. Her first instinct was to give her fake alias, but the King had already seen through her disguise. It would do no good. "Kate" she managed to say instead, scarcely louder than a whisper.

"Tell me Kate, why masquerade as a man? You must have known the risks and yet you still took a huge leap of faith."

There was no hostility in the question. Instead, the King seemed genuinely curious. Kate coughed to clear her throat. "It was safer. So I—I wouldn't get violated again. Your majesty," she added hastily.

"Just call me Arlyn. King Arlyn if you must," the King frowned. He glanced outside the window, then back to her. "I don't blame you. It was a smart move. If you hadn't gotten discovered, you would have been much better off."

"What's to become of me now?" Kate couldn't help blurting out.

"The worst is behind you, my dear." Arlyn smiled sadly. "But now. . . well I'm in need of some more castle staff. I thought this would be a short trip but clearly, I've got my work cut out for me. I'll be staying here for a while and I'll need more servants."

"Th-thank you King Arlyn." Kate said quickly. Serving the King directly seemed like a much better alternative than anything else she had imagined.

"It's the least I could do," the King said courteously. A troubled look washed over his face. "I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner. If I had known the situation was this dire, I would have come weeks in advance."

Kate stared dumbfounded. Here was a King apologizing to her. A man with all the power in the world, bowing down to a woman with none. She was at a loss for words. Fortunately, or rather, unfortunately, there was no need for her to reply. At that moment Lord Keith burst through the doors, seething with scarcely disguised anger.

Lord Vincent laughed at the sight and gave a mocking half-bow to his fellow Great General. "I see you've decided to join us at last, Keith."

"Indeed. You certainly took your time," King Arlyn chided. "Even Kate was able to get washed and dressed before you bothered to show up."

Keith's head snapped toward her and Kate immediately flinched backward. "You. . ." he growled in a low guttural voice.

"Speaking of," the King continued on. "I do believe you owe her an apology for the way you treated her."

"There's no need!" Kate immediately piped up. She scurried back a few steps, trying to place a corner of the war table between her and the furious Great General.

Keith snarled bitterly. "You want me to grovel before this filthy whore?"

"She's a lot cleaner than you," Vincent quipped.

"We won't get the meeting started until you do apologize," King Arlyn added.

That made Keith snap. His eyes glowed with anger as he stared daggers at Kate. "I'll show you your bloody place." In the blink of an eye, Keith unslung his war axe from his back and lunged at full speed. Kate squealed in distress and tripped in her haste to flee, landing helplessly on the floor. She could only raise her arm to shield herself as the axe came screaming down on her.

Just a moment before Keith's axe split her skull in half, a silver blur intercepted, skewing the blade off course with a metallic clang! A wooden seat right beside her exploded into a shower of splinters as Keith's heavy axe split it down the middle. Kate glanced up to see one of the royal guards standing over her protectively, having parried away Keith's axe with a halberd.

The Great General roared in fury and tried to lift his weapon again, but three more royal guards converged upon him together. Two of them crossed their halberds over his axe, the third tackled Keith to the floor. Before Lord Keith could struggle to his feet, two royal guards had their blades pressed against his throat. His head sank back to the floor in sullen defeat. For a few moments the entire room was still.

King Arlyn stood up. "This is your first and final warning Keith. This woman is under my protection. Any attack against her will be treated as an attempt against my own life, so don't ever raise your blade against Kate again."

The Great General muttered something dark under his breath, his eyes full of hatred. Kate scrambled to her feet and tactfully placed herself on the other end of the table. The guard that had first parried Keith's axe away followed behind her, his halberd raised protectively. Kate was glad for the sentinel's presence.

"I'm still waiting on that apology," King Arlyn commented with a tinge of boredom. He sat back in his chair, picked up a quill, and twirled it patiently.

"Sorry," Keith grumbled. The apology seemed more directed toward the King than Kate herself, but that was the last thing that mattered to her at the moment.

"Is that apology up to your standards, Kate?" King Arlyn asked.

"Yes," She said quickly, trying to diffuse the tension. "You're forgiven. Lord Keith."

The royal guards backed up a step, removing their weapons from the General's throat. Keith climbed to his feet. His face was a mask of rage though he did not say anything again. Lord Vincent had been struggling to contain his glee the whole time, but now he burst out laughing, wiping tears from his eyes. "By God, Keith. Have you considered becoming a jester? That was the best show I've seen in awhile."

"I'll snap your neck like a twig the next time you say that," Keith growled.

"It was only a suggestion, my friend," Lord Vincent grinned mischievously. "I have your best interests at heart. If becoming a street performer is your deepest desire, then I'll support you the entire way."

"Becoming a fool would be better suited for you, Vincent. You were never gifted for war."

"Oh? Quite the contrary. The reason I'm here is because I finished my campaign, while you can't seem to handle even the smallest, most primitive tribes in the jungle."

That struck a nerve. Keith's face blossomed as red as an apple. "At least my army is still completely intact. The whole Protectorate has heard of your great defeat in the swamps. I only had to see you riding into my castle on a spinosaurus to know it was true."

For once Lord Vincent seemed at a lost for words. Keith grinned and pressed his attack further. "You had all the strength in the world and still lost to some backwater hicks. Tell me, where's your tyrannosaurus now?"

Lord Vincent's eyes flashed for a moment, then his calm demeanor was back. He graced Keith with a charming smile. "Emerald fought valiantly to secure the peninsula and gave her life for my cause. But a Great General knows when to adapt to any situation. I incorporated the local fauna into my army and now I have not one, but three spinosaurus. Not to mention the swamps under my control."

Keith was about to retort when King Arlyn abruptly cut in. "Are you two quite done now? We don't have all the time in the world."

Keith shut his mouth, as did Vincent. King Arlyn smiled. "Good. Now, I don't normally ride to the frontline but I had no choice. Keith, your incompetence has forced my hand. Would you care to explain why you're so far behind schedule? The goal was for you to push all the way to the northern coast by the end of the year. Lord Vincent was able to take the eastern coast, yet you're not even halfway to your destination."

The Great General scowled. "It's the damned slaves. They aren't producing enough war equipment, nor growing enough food. And they keep running off. Most of my time is spent hunting them down."

Arlyn sighed. "Have you ever considered why that might be? Take a look at the way you're treating them. Nobody in their right mind would want to work for you. If you show them wealth and kindness, they'll be more willing to dedicate their hearts to the Protectorate."

Kate was trying not to seem overly suspicious, though she felt like she was still intruding on something private. To her surprise, the King called on her.

"Kate. You've been through Keith's prison. Tell us the plain truth. What's it like there?"

She glanced up from her feet nervously. Keith was already glaring daggers into her soul. She tried to ignore that and instead focus on Arlyn. "It was. . . horrible. The men are worked nearly to death. And the women have it worse. They get. . . used for their bodies. We all hated it. The slaves I mean."

Arly nodded. "I thought as much." He turned back to Keith. "You're supposed to make them love living under the safety and prosperity of the Protectorate, not despise it. We need loyal subjects to support our unification efforts. If you continue treating them like animals, you'll be so embroiled in uprisings and civil war that you'll never have time to face the true enemy."

Arlyn twirled his quill thoughtfully. "Starting from now, I'm taking over all the operations on the northern front. I'm reforming the policies you've failed to properly promote. The prisoners' sentences will be cut in half, down to five years instead of ten. Further, I'm increasing their rations and monetary compensation."

"Do as you see fit," Keith grumbled. "I'm sick of managing the filthy slaves."

"And this is why you've got it all wrong. These slaves are the backbone of the Protectorate. Not the soldiers, the slaves. They're the ones that go on to become loyal subjects and provide all the resources we need to continue unification. How hard is that for you to understand?"

"Well if you're here now, I don't need to understand!" Keith fumed. "Just tell me what you want and I'll do it."

Arlyn sighed again. "I see you're a lost cause. Very well. The second reason I'm here is because I've received troubling reports from our spies. Due to your fumbling about, you've given our northernmost enemies plenty of chances to prepare for war. They've formed a Northern Coalition, which our spies estimate to stand anywhere from three to four thousand strong. Already, they're capable of fielding over a thousand soldiers. Enough to match your army alone."

"Let them come," Keith said. "They're weak. My soldiers are strong and well-disciplined. We've already had a skirmish with their forces and they're no match for my army."

"Even if you believe this to be true, it's best not to take chances. That's why Lord Vincent and I have come to this front. Vincent commands four hundred soldiers and I brought a hundred of my elite guard."

"I can handle this alone. I don't need your help, and especially not the swamp-lover's."

"This is an order from your King. You will listen to my plan and carry it out exactly as I say. Anything less would be treason." Keith glared but did not say anything. Arlyn continued on. "I'll spend about three months quelling the civil unrest, while you and Lord Vincent consolidate your forces. Then when everything is in order, you'll launch an attack to take the north. If everything goes according to plan, we'll be able to meet that deadline after all. Is that understood?"

"Aye."

"Good. Fortunately for us, the northerners are also suing for more time. Our spies report that they sent a negotiation party toward Cerulean Falls. We'll accept their terms for now and—"

Keith coughed. "About that. I already took care of it."

"You what?" Arlyn growled.

"We might not have three months to prepare."

Author's Note:

DinoNerd89, Thanks for the review! You're right, once Alex recovers he will play a decently important part in the war.

Bladerunner24k, Mother nature is the best teacher after all!

Caleb R. Watson, Glad you enjoyed the development for both characters. I have somewhat similar plans for what you imagined, but you'll have to wait to find out ;)

Death korps boi, I hadn't thought of it like that before but you're definitely right! It adds lots of new options for the army.

Guest, Thanks! And yeah, Island creatures only.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my work, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feel free to comment, ask questions, or criticize my story, review is always welcome! If you liked what you saw, make sure to check out the other ARK stories on this site! Have a great day!

- DaRumpyBurr