Chapter 25: The City that Tempted Fate Part 13: Wrapping Things Up
The greenling city was shielded from sight once again, so they called out and waited.
"Higgle pig?" Frumious asked.
"Higgle pig pig," Runcible explained.
"Higgle."
"Och, yer back! Again!" They heard Niall exclaim. The city reappeared, the folding bridge was extended and he was standing before them once more. He clapped his hands together, his expression one of hopeful delight. "Woold Ah be correct in mah assumption, tha'this time ye were successful?" The party exchanged looks, and Niall's expression fell. "Dinnae tell me ye weren't."
"The darkness was extracted from Master Pugnacious' heart and we were able to fix his heart with the piece of restraint that you donated," Evan confirmed.
"Then wha's with all the gloomy looks?"
"Because unfortunately we've discovered the reason Ali Bi – the mystery man in other words – why he broke Pugnacious' heart," said Roland.
Niall's expression darkened. "An' wha'reason woold tha'be?"
"For the purpose of weakening his kingsbond so that it could then be stolen."
"Stolen?!" He shouted, throwing his hands in the air. "Yer pullin' me leg! Wha'does that even mean?"
"We're not pulling anyone's leg, Niall," Tani replied. "We're deadly serious. Some creepy snake-headed weirdo showed up and yanked it out of his chest. Then he thanked us for helping him – as if that's what we were actually doing – and then he left us to clean up the mess." She scowled as she added, "Jerk."
"W… wai'a minute. Wai'a minute. Yanked it out o'his chest?" Niall's expression became one of devastation. "Ye mean, it was severed? Ye mean he's dead?!" Tears began streaming down his face as he angrily continued. "Did ye think me fool, eh?! Did ye think I had no idea what tha'means?!"
The higgledies exchanged sad looks as he ranted, as they were affected by his anguish. "Higgle…"
"Ye though' ye could jus'carry on as if nuthin'ad happened tae him, jus'so ye could get mah wood, didnae ye?!"
"Master Pugnacious is not dead," Aranella asserted gently.
"No one survives their kingsbond bein' severed!" He shouted back.
"But he has. You have our word, Niall, that he is alive and well," Evan soothed.
"Or mostly well at least," Roland added. "But that's why we said his kingsbond was stolen. It was severed at the root, so he was spared from the backlash, and consequently survived the theft."
Niall stood there sniffling for a moment as he processed the words that had been spoken to him. "Y… ye mean it? He's still… alive?"
"He is," Evan replied. "We promise. And you can go visit him at any time."
He looked at the higgledies. "Is tha'true?"
They nodded. "Higgle. Higgle pig."
He wiped his face with a sleeve. "Then… then wha'o'Goldpaw? If the kingsbond was severed, then Longfang will'a run wild."
"He sure did, mun," Lofty confirmed. "But we put a stop to his rampage, see. So Goldpaw is still standing – more or less – and is safe. Or at least for now."
Niall clutched his heart and breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Zayin be praised," he muttered.
"Do you know anything about this man, Niall? Or why he wanted to steal Master Pugnacious' kingsbond?" Evan asked.
"Yeah, like, what can you even do with a stolen kingsbond?" Tani added.
Niall shook his head. "Ah've no'the foggiest idea whoo the man is. So Ah'd've no clue why he stole auld Puggy's kingsbond. An as fer wha' ye can do wi'a stolen kingsbond. Ah can only speculate."
"Then speculate," Roland encouraged. "We don't have anything else."
He folded his arms and frowned in contemplation. "Kingsbond severin' is no mean feat… It's no'somthin' jus'anyone can doo. But kingsbond stealin'… Ye said it was severed at the root, aye?"
"That's right, mun," Lofty confirmed. "I reckon he wanted the resulting overflow of magic for himself. But as for what he intends to do with it, like, then youer guess is as good as mine."
Niall hummed. "Weyll… if he'd wanted tae take the kingsbond fer himself so he coold form a kingsbond with Longfang wi'out havin' tae take his trial, then he woulda done so…"
"Is it possible to do that?" Roland asked.
"Ah had no idea it was even possible tae steal a kingsbond until taeday. An'ye asked me tae speculate, so tha's wha'Ahm doin'."
"Right…"
"So as I was sayin', it doesnae seem like he's after ruling Goldpaw, or Longfang's power."
"No," they agreed.
"So… if he dinnae wants Longfang, then it mus'be the kingsbond itself tha'he was after."
"Right," they agreed again. "Can you use the kingsbond to do magic do you think?" Tani asked.
"By the sounds o'it, he can already use magic. So Ah dinnae know why he'd need another source." The party folded their arms and hummed.
"Pugnacious theorised that it was likely that he would be going after other kingsbonds," said Roland.
"An'Ah woold agree wi'that theory."
"But if he's right, then this Ali Bi guy is after the power of more than one kingsbond."
Niall stiffened. "Och, Ah see what yer getting' at. So the question shooldn't be limited tae wha'ye can doo wi'a single kingsbond."
"Right." There was another round of contemplation before Roland was speaking again. "What if… He's not trying to replicate a kingsbond with another Kingmaker? What if he's trying to replicate the power boost a kingsbond can give?"
"But if he did that, it would fry him," said Lofty. "Even one kingsbond is too much power for a mortal soul to handle. Only a Kingmaker can withstand it, and it's why we only give a portion of it back. And that's why the backlash from a kingsbond being severed is fatal for the ruler, see."
"Are faeries not mortal then, Lofty?" Evan asked.
"I'm a thousand years old en't I? How many folks do you know of who have lived to a thousand years of age?"
"Oh… Good point."
"Then… what if…" Roland stopped talking and trailed off for a moment in thought. "Actually let me back peddle for a second, what if he is trying to replicate a kingsbond with another Kingmaker, but by using the kingsbonds to make his own Kingmaker somehow?"
"You think he's trying to do what Evan's trying to do, but since there aren't any Kingmakers left, or he couldn't find one, he's trying to make his own?" Tani asked.
"Something like that. No one really knows how Kingmakers are made after all."
"Kingmakers are made in a King's Cradle," said Niall.
"Kingmakers are made in a King's Cradle normally, but Ali Bi's taken an already existing kingsbond that are a Kingmaker's source of power. Maybe he's found a way to use them to make Kingmaker?"
"Lofty became a Kingmaker didn't he?" Evan added. "And he was a faery before that. So wouldn't that mean that it's possible to make someone or something into a Kingmaker?"
"Hmm… Tha's a good point," Niall conceded. "How did ye become a Kingmaker, Lofty?"
"Simple really," Lofty replied. "I used to hear all sorts of tales of the world outside my home of Teeheeti as a littly, see, so one day when I was all grown up, I decided to leave. I found the Cradle of Light but it was empty, so when the Overseer asked me if I wanted to become a Kingmaker, I said yes!"
"… Is tha'it?"
"That's it, mun."
"But how did you become a Kingmaker?" Roland asked. "Like what happened after you said yes?"
"Well? Not much really. I was taken to the Kingmaker's Dimension and infused with the powers of a Kingmaker, and henceforth became a Kingmaker. Simple innit?" He finished brightly. His smile became very strained and he began to sweat as Roland and Niall pinned him down with identical frowns of skepticism. He breathed a sigh of relief when they looked away to each other. They both clearly thought he wasn't telling them the whole story but decided not to press him.
"Och, Ah suppose it's beside the point. If it's possible fer the O'erseer o'a King's Cradle tae infuse sumthin' wi'the power o'a Kingmaker tae make'em intae a Kingmaker, then maybe it's possible fer a powerful magic user tae infuse somethin' wi'the power o'a stolen kingsbond tae make'em intae a Kingmaker."
"If he's going to be using the power of more than one kingsbond, then it's going to be a frightfully powerful one," said Aranella.
"An' assumin' we're right, the question then becomes, wha'woold he doo wi'such a Kingmaker?" Niall asked.
"Invade other kingdoms?" Roland suggested. "If he's making a Kingmaker that'll be more powerful than any other, then a single Kingmaker, even one being backed by an army, couldn't possibly hope to stand against it. So… maybe this is some kind of quest for world domination."
"Whoo knows? A'the end o'day, all we're doin' is guessin'."
"Sure. But at the very least we've figured that a kingsbond could possibly be used for something pretty dire."
"I think we could've worked out that much from the fact that he has to steal them in the first place," said Tani.
"Well yeah… but on the other hand he could be stealing them with good intentions, depending on what he wants to use them for."
"I guess."
"Leave me tae look intae this," said Niall at length. "Ah'll see wha'Ah can dig up."
"Thank you, Niall," said Evan. "If you could also let us know what you find."
"Will doo. Bu'in the mean time, ye still want yer wood, dinnae ye? Weyll, ye kept yer end o'the bargain an' ye helped mah friend, so ye Ah'll keep tae mine. Wha'ever wood ye need, it's all yoors."
"Thank you, Niall."
"Are there any trees in particular that we can or cannot have?" Aranella asked.
"Ah know mah forest best, so yoo leave tha'detayl tae me. Ah'll have'em marked up fer ye fer when yer people come fer'em."
"Perfect, thank you. That will leave us to figure out the logistics of how to transport it back to our kingdom."
"Aye. Now if tha's all? Ah'd like tae check in wi'mah friend."
"Yes, of course," said Evan. "And thank you again, Niall. Take care."
"Yoo too, laddie. Until next time."
By the time they returned to camp, the tents had been pitched, the food had been cooked, and Batu had recovered from his Travel sickness. After dinner was served up and as they ate, they brought Chingis up to date with all that had happened.
"Do ye reckon on it bein' possible te take the stolen kingsbond back from the man?" Chingis asked.
"It'd better be, like, or Goldpaw is going to have a difficult future on its hands," Lofty replied.
After that, Roland decided to check on Leafbook.
Folks, this is terrible! It seems that during Longfang's rampage, he set fire to numerous parts of the city. Now the fires are blazing out of control! Can the nation be saved?!
Folks, I have yet more incredible news! Not only have all of the fires raging through the city been doused, but Longfang's rampage was also successfully repelled! And my sources tell me, not only by the tireless efforts of Goldpaw's army, who were lead by their Captain of the Guard, Ya Pi but none other than Evan, the would-be-King of Ding Dong Dell and his companions as well! The young prince was thought to have perished in the coup but as is clear, is in fact alive and well, and if my sources are correct, has formed a kingsbond with another Kingmaker! What does this all mean? Is he building a kingdom of his very own? We'll have to wait and see, as I have a feeling this won't be the last we'll hear of young Evan.
In the aftermath of both the rampage of their Kingmaker and the fires that swept the nation, Master Pugnacious – who appears to have survived his ordeal – has made an announcement to the nation apologising for his actions and promising to make amends and reparations for everything he has done. Are these the words of a repentant man, or one seeking to cover his guilt with pacifications? Only one thing is certain, the whole world will now be watching.
He snapped it closed with a sigh. "Well. Looks like the cat's out of the bag," he said as he tucked it away.
"The what?" They chorused.
"It looks like the truth is out. Evan is now on Leafbook."
"… Oh…"
"Sorry," Evan mumbled, his ears drooping.
"Well… It were only a matter o'time…" Batu reasoned.
"Yeah, but we would've liked to have kept him off it for a little longer," said Roland.
"So… what's going to happen now?" Tani asked.
"If that Mausinger blighter wants a fight, I say bring it on," said Lofty.
"Lofty," Aranella scolded as Evan's ears drooped further.
"We can take him!" He insisted.
"We'll have to assume that he's seen it but in terms of what he'll do next," said Roland."Ding Dong Dell will still be far too unstable for a large scale military endeavour so soon after the coup, which is something we have in our favour. However this won't stop him from sending out assassins or mercenaries to try to kill Evan. So we're going to have to be real careful about keeping the exact location of our kingdom under wraps until we're in a better position ourselves, all right? That means absolutely no posts on Leafbook concerning our kingdom, its location or its development. And that goes ditto for discussing it with other people."
"Right," they chorused.
"Otherwise I guess what's done is done, and we'll just have to see what the future holds."
Evan swallowed. "Are you… are you sure it's all right?"
"It was the entire point of you having a codename."
"I-I know, but… but since Lady Ya Ya found out, it only felt right to tell Captain Ya Pi and the soldiers my real name because we were going to be working together."
"So you'd thought they'd keep their mouths shut?"
"Yes, I… I suppose I did."
"I see," he sighed. "Well… I guess we don't actually know where the leak came from. It could've just as easily been one of the factory workers right from the beginning. And if that's true, then maintaining your code name wouldn't have made a difference…"
"Aye," Batu agreed. "So' the best we can be doin' now, is not te be worryin' our heads o'er what did or didn't'appen, and te be gettin' some sleep."
"Right," they chorused again. They bid each other good night and crawled into their tents, with Chingis taking first watch.
Meanwhile, in Ding Dong Dell
King Mausinger looked up from the papers strewn across his desk at the excited knocking on his door. He had undergone a change of attire since he had become king, replacing his dark blue overcoat with one closer to purple, and his green robe with one in blue, with all of the yellow and gold accents being changed to grey and silver.
He was in his study, or at least it was his study now, as it had previously been owned and used by King Leonhard. Mausinger had replaced the rug with one in blue and the curtains with ones in purple, all with a silver trim. A number of paintings of various places in Ding Dong Dell and its surroundings hung around the room, and bookshelves filled with all sorts of books lined the walls, as did a cabinet filled with bottles of alcohol. He was seated behind a carved wooden desk with his back to a large window which afforded a view onto the castle grounds below. The desk was bereft of personal items, save for one; the back of a small picture. "Come in?"
Vermine entered. "Your Majesty," he said, eschewing formality and immediately approaching the desk with his Leafbook in hand. "You simply must see this."
Mausinger sighed. "Very well, what is it?"
He held it out. "See for yourself."
Mausinger sighed again and took the Leafbook and began to read aloud. "Not only have all of the fires raging through the city been doused, but Longfang's rampage was also successfully repelled…" He turned to Vermine with a raised eyebrow. "What is this?"
He smirked. "The nation of Goldpaw appears to have encountered a spot of bother recently."
"So I see," he replied with a frown. "Exactly what kind of bother?"
"Well… I suppose it best you read for yourself." He took back the Leafbook and showed Mausinger the entries one by one.
When Mausinger read the entry on the severing of Pugnacious' kingsbond, he clutched his chest in horror and muttered. "His kingsbond. Severed? I did not know such a thing was possible."
"Well you needn't fear, Your Majesty," Vermine assured him. "If the state of Goldpaw was anything to go by, his bond with his people was very weak indeed! Small wonder then that it was severed with that in mind."
"That is true… But is this what you wanted me to see? The fate of Goldpaw is an unfortunate one indeed, but I fail to understand why it would be a concern of ours?"
Vermine returned to the entry he'd first shown. "Keep reading."
Mausinger sighed again and found where he'd left off. "Successfully repelled, not only by the tireless efforts of Goldpaw's army, who were lead by their Captain of the Guard, Ya Pi-" He looked askance at Vermine as he said."I mean what kind of a name is that?"
He chuckled in amusement. "Keep reading."
"But none other than Evan-" He paused, a sneer of understanding beginning to blossom on his face. "None other than Evan," he repeated and then continued. "The would-be-King of Ding Dong Dell." His expression was now an evil smile."Well, well. So that is where he ended up. I am surprised that even he made it that far. But, no matter." He exchanged a look with Vermine. "It would appear that we finally know where to look."
Elsewhere in Ding Dong Dell
Ratja tiredly trudged back to her room after yet another long day of work. Her now empty room, since her roommate and fellow maid Calista had been hauled off to the dungeons for the crime of refusing to submit to King Mausinger's rule.
It had been just over a week since the coup had happened and a week since Cally's arrest. And as a grimalkin, Cally was far from being the only one to be subjected to this treatment. So many of the previous staff, most grimalkin, some humanfolk, some her friends, were either imprisoned, or had fled Ding Dong Dell while they'd still had the chance. Only a few of them still remained in service, and because of that they had lost many senior staff members, forcing those left such as Ratja, to pick up the slack.
It wasn't that they were refusing to accept him as their king, it was the fact that King Mausinger had rounded up the entire staff the following day and laid down the rules and stipulations that he now expected them to follow, all of which unfairly targeted the grimalkin and greatly restricted their freedoms.
As for herself, he had stood before her and offered her a choice. Join him, or join her friends in the dungeons. Though it pained her to pledge herself to him after what he'd done, she could do nothing from the inside of a cell, and she was still determined to discover what could've happened to have changed him from the man she had come to love. And so here she was. Over a week later and no closer to understanding why any of this had happened. But then there was just so much to do and little time to do anything else. Ratja's ears perked up at the sound of someone calling her name. It was Persha.
"Ratja! There you are." Persha was a grimalkin maid, one of the few that had escaped Mausinger's wrath, or at least for the moment. Ratja knew she was struggling under the new rules despite agreeing to follow them.
"Persha?" she said simply. "What is it?"
"You haven't been checking Leafbook have you?"
"Not recently, why?"
"It's Master Evan!"
Ratja stiffened. "What about him?"
"He's alive! And he's made it all the way to Goldpaw. He's even started a new kingdom somewhere." As Persha spoke, Ratja went wide eyed before hastily hauling out her Leafbook to see for herself.
"It's true," she uttered. The words on the screen blurred as tears began filling her eyes. "And it says he has companions. That must mean Aranella is alive as well."
"So we hope."
"Oh Persha." She hugged Persha tightly, and Persha gladly reciprocated. "I'm so relieved."
"Oh so am I, Ratja. So am I. But Ratja, listen." She pulled away and looked up and down the corridor before continuing. "I can't stay here Ratja, not any longer. Not while Mausinger is King."
She swallowed, fresh tears building in her eyes. "I know, Persha. I understand."
"Will you help me escape?"
"Of course I will. I have…" she swallowed again. "I have friends in the military. If they can take guard duty on the entrance gate, they'll let you go. But you'll have to make up a reason to get past the rest of the guards."
"Do you trust them?"
"I do. Not every mouse in the military shares King Mausinger's views, Persha."
"All right. If you say so then I'll believe you."
"It won't be tonight, but soon. I'll let you know when."
"Thank you, Ratja. I should get packed so I'm ready to leave."
"Be careful, Persha."
"You too."
Meanwhile, in kingdom in a far off land
A pink-haired woman in a mustard-yellow tunic and green trousers tucked into dark green boots sat in a room by herself. The room had an air of nostalgia to it. Every part was made of wood, from the planks making up the floor, to the beams and support struts holding up the ceiling, the shelf on one of the walls that held various old knick-knacks, the two desks that had been shoved to one side of the room and chairs that had been neatly tucked away under one of the tables, and the bookshelf in one corner of the room that sported a selection of old, dusty books and a various assortment of objects. The blueprints of a water wheel had been nailed to one of the walls, and various notes had been pinned up beside it. The woman was seated before one of the desks, an elbow resting on its worn surface and her head propped up by her hand. Tears streaked down her face as she wept quietly.
"Bracken! Bracken! You down here?"
Bracken inhaled sharply and hastily wiped her face with her gloved hands before answering. "Yeah, Trey, I'm here."
Trey bounded through the door and up the steps with his Leafbook in hand. He was a middle-aged man dressed in an orange jacket over a black long-sleeved shirt, tan shorts and a black hat with a blue hand. "Bracken! Have you-!?" He froze, immediately taking in Bracken's red, puffy eyes. "Have you been crying?"
She sniffled. "No?" Off his look of disbelief, she said. "I mean… it's fine… I'm fine."
"Bracken," he said simply. "It's me." So she burst into tears again and folded into his arms.
"It's okay," he soothed as he held her tight. "It's okay." And let her cry it out.
Eventually she pulled away and dried her eyes. "We lost another one," she mumbled and Trey was suddenly having to swallow the lump in his own throat. Gods, not another one.
"What did Zip say?"
"What do you think?"
"'That's the price of progress'," he quoted. The words felt foreign in his mouth and it made him nauseous to repeat them.
"Of course," she spat. "That's all he cares about now. Progress. No matter what it costs." Her shoulders sagged as the anger drained out of her. "What's happened to him, Trey?"
Trey hung his head. "I wish I knew…"
A sombre silence stretched between them before Bracken spoke again, changing the topic. "So uh, what was it you wanted to show me?"
"Oh, right. Have you been following what's been happening in Goldpaw?"
"What's been happening in Goldpaw?" She asked with a confused frown, thereby answering his question.
"Okay, well. First, their leader the Grand High Roller, who is a guy called Pugnacious. Well, he was put on trial for "crimes against the nation" and was found guilty of all charges."
"Wish they could put Zip on trial," she remarked acidly.
"Yeah, well, here's the thing. Pugnacious went on some kind of rant, and began emitting a dark aura that had the appearance of purple flames."
Bracken frowned. "Huh."
"And if that wasn't bizarre enough, some guy dressed in like, the gaudiest outfit you've ever seen if these pictures are anything to go by, plunged his hand into Pugnacious' chest and ripped out his kingsbond!"
"Geez!" She cringed. "Is he okay?"
"Yeah, he's fine. But their Kingmaker, Longfang went totally mad!"
"Oh gosh. So what happened to Goldpaw? Is it all right?"
"According to the reports? The leader of their army, a guy called Captain Ya Pi managed to repel the Kingmaker and save the city. But he had help, and you'll never guess from who, so I'll just tell you; King Evan."
"King Evan? Wait, you mean-?"
"Yeah! King Evan! He would've been the King of Ding Dong Dell, but… you know."
"Right. So he didn't die in the coup after all?"
"Nope! He's alive and well. And he's even found himself another Kingmaker."
Bracken smiled. "Well good for him! And I hope everything works out for him too." The smile slipped off her face as her thoughts turned to the mystery man. "Still I wonder about the guy who ripped out Pugnacious' kingsbond… What was he even after?"
Trey shrugged. "Who knows? But I don't think we should be worrying about it. We've got our own problems to deal with after all."
"Yeah…" She sighed. "I know."
"You ready to go back into the fray?"
She shut her eyes for a moment before replying. "Yeah. I'm ready." She squared her shoulders and prepared to march out of the room, but paused in the doorway to cast one last look back before turning and walking away.
Meanwhile, in a kingdom across the sea
A merfolk man dressed in a purple frock coat with a gold trim, and navy breeches, steeled himself before entering the throne room. He had smooth, turquoise scales and his fins and seaweed-like hair where all a pale, lime green colour.
The throne room was a place of undeniable beauty. The flooring was tiles cut from aquamarine and had been polished to the point of being reflective, so that one could see their own reflection with almost the same clarity as that of a mirror. Pillars lining the back of the room had been decorated with cuts of aquamarine that were slotted together in such a way as to resemble fish scales. These pillars supported a transparent dome – the bottom of which was rimmed with various corals – allowing light to filter in through the water above, casting ever moving shadows on the walls and floor. A banner of a blue cloth so fine that it was almost translucent had been strung up, providing the room with a backdrop, and glittered and sparkled in the constant shifting and play of light and shadow. The banner framed the throne, a large pod-like structure of five panels that gave it the appearance of a flower bud, that sat on a platform cut from blue jadeite with steps carved into it.
"Queen Nerea?" He called out.
The pod opened like a blossom unveiling its petals to the sun, revealing the throne itself, a seat of plush, plum coloured cushions and the occupant who sat on it; Queen Nerea, a merfolk woman with scales of a deep blue and fins and hair – both long and elegant – the colour of cerulean. She was dressed in a pale, sea green dress that had a dark blue bodice and pale blue sleeves that glittered and sparkled whenever she moved. A belt of pearls adorned her waist, and on her head sat a crown of gold. Her sculpted eyebrows furrowed as her expression became one of displeasure. "Well?" She demanded, her tone curt and her manner of speech clipped. "What is it this time, Leander? What is it that you find to be so important that you would disturb my contemplation?"
Leander gave a low bow of contrition. "Forgive the intrusion, Your Majesty, but I assure you that this is a matter which you will find of some interest."
"Will I now, Leander? You assure me of this? You are quite confidant in your ability to presume what I do and do not consider to be of interest? More then, say, myself?"
He looked up sharply. "Your Majesty, I-"
"Spare me your platitudes," she snapped and he fell silent. "And do not presume to tell me what I will or will not consider interesting."
He hung his head. "Yes… Your Majesty."
"Now. What is it you wanted to show me? Out with it, and let this not be another waste of my time."
"Yes, of course. I have received news of the nation of Goldpaw-"
"Goldpaw?" She repeated. "And what interest is the nation of Goldpaw to the Queen of Hydropolis?"
"The ruler of Goldpaw, the Grand High Roller Pugnacious has had his kingsbond severed by an unknown individual, and his Kingmaker consequently ran wild."
Her expression lost much of its severity as she straightened in her throne and repeated. "His kingsbond? Severed?" She unconsciously clutched her chest and frowned as Leander continued.
"This rampage was repelled by the nation's army, as well as outside assistance in the form of King Evan, the ousted King of Ding Dong Dell."
"King Evan, you say? He is no king if he has been ousted by his people."
"He appears to have formed a bond with another Kingmaker. I can only assume that he means to start anew by founding another kingdom."
"I see… And what of the fate of Goldpaw, Leander? Does it stand, or did it fall?"
"Goldpaw remains standing, though, barely, and is subsequently in a highly vulnerable state. I anticipate that it will be sometime before the nation has fully recovered."
"I see." She pondered for a moment before speaking. "Well. I suppose I must admit to finding this to be an amusing diversion, but one that bares no consequence to the prosperity of Hydropolis… Still… should such an incident occur again, I am to be informed. Understand?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Good. Now go. I tire of your presence."
He bowed low. "As you command, my Queen." And then left.
Nerea closed her eyes and clutched her chest. "Hydropolis cannot fall," she spoke aloud. "I will not allow it."
A/N: Hydropolis should've been a kingdom of merfolk, and so now it is. Consequently, Leander and Nerea have now received a merfolk makeover, though their descriptions may be subject to change.
Going forward you will hopefully be seeing an improvement in conversation as I am now working on including body language a lot more in response to some feedback. I will be also be applying the Body Language Edit to my later chapters as well at some point, so if you notice the word count going up without a chapter update, that will be why. :p
And with this we (finally) conclude the City That Tempted Fate arc. \o/ I hope you're enjoying it so far. :3 Any thoughts? Theories? Let me know in the comments.