Night had settled into the Grasslands as the Fire Army continuously stood idle for combat. Three weeks have passed without any action and life at the base camp became mundane. The Supreme General along with the war council have spent countless hours developing their next plan of attack. But no matter how hard they tried, every tactic brought forth to the table was bound to result in high casualties. SG knew his reputation would be frowned upon by his people if he sent the troops seemingly into a death march. He had to think of something that was unorthodox, something that would appeal to his peers as well as his sister. Then one day, a thought ran through his mind. Every strategy he and his council developed was obvious and straight-forward.
"It's because of the total honesty law," he thought to himself in realization. From that moment, he rushed over to his personal tent and searched the small bookcase nearby. After finding a certain book, he looked through the table of contents until he found what he was looking for. He grabbed a notepad from his desk and began drafting the next battle plan. Once he listed his findings, he cleared his desk and placed a clear copy of the map that showed the layout between the Grasslands and Candy Kingdom outskirts.
The elemental felt his heart racing as he diligently searched for points of interest on the map. According to the latest scout reports, enemy defense placements remained the same since the previous battle. One significant finding however was that the terrain between the two factions was uneven with steep craters and makeshift hills from artillery bombardments. Once he made final checks with the layout, he began setting markings until he nodded in satisfaction.
SG knew his idea would naturally be reviewed before the war council. Given his position, most of the group would most likely support his idea without question. However, he suspected that his sister might protest about the plan contradicting her kingdom's core policy. SG looked at his phone and noted that it was close to midnight. He rubbed his eyes and summoned one of the sentry guards stationed outside his tent.
"Inform the war council there will be a meeting held within two days," the general instructed.
The guard nodded and left moments later.
"Okay, now I just need to speak with my sister and hopefully get her on board with everyone else," SG thought to himself.
The next morning, Phoebe's brother woke up with a groggy expression. He wasn't able to sleep well last night because of a nightmare that tormented him relentlessly. It was about the defeat of the second battle and how the general was unable to withdraw his troops as they were massacred before his very eyes. Everything felt so real to the elemental that he believed he was reliving the same day again. When the battle concluded, he suddenly found himself on the front lines along with another infantry division. A whistle was blown to signal the charge and the fiery army advanced once again. The entire company uttered a great battle cry as they sprinted towards the Candy defenses. Soon, the men around the elemental began yelling in pain and agony and fell down in clusters. He ducked as bullets whizzed past his location.
Despite losing hundreds of men at this point, SG and his troops continued to push forward. There was no turning back as they ran past the point of no return. Their best chance for survival now would be to reach through the first set of enemy trenches. Unfortunately, the division never made it. SG was struck several times around the chest and stomach that he was quickly thrown on his back, gasping for breath. The most horrific moment for him though was when he lifted his head slightly to find he was surrounded in what seemed like a massive grave. The whole world around him was suddenly dead silent and his vision faded from red to black.
After recalling his nightmare, Phoebe's brother drank a mug of magma to start the day. He washed his face and stared at his reflection momentarily before shaking his head.
"I'll get these people home," he said to himself. "I can't waste anymore time."
SG walked outside his tent surveying his surroundings. The morning sky was gloomy and the troops around the base had miserable expressions as they sat around and did nothing. When most of the recruits joined, they expected that the war would be fast-paced and exciting in terms of action. Instead, all they ever did was rotate the frontline troops to keep on the lookout for enemy movement. Those who weren't on overwatch usually wrote letters to their friends and families, while others maintained food and weapons. Music played throughout the barracks to settle the mood, but everyone felt bitter nonetheless.
After a while, the elemental finally reached the royal tent. He was aware that he had the whole day to broach his sister about the subject, but decided to address it immediately.
"Your majesty," he called.
"Yes, brother," Phoebe replied.
"I have something important we must discuss urgently. May I come in?"
"Go ahead."
SG walked inside and found his younger sibling reading a set of paperwork. When she noticed his approach, she placed the papers aside and shifted her seat towards him. She motioned for him to sit at a nearby chair at which he humbly obliged.
"I take it this couldn't wait before breakfast?" Phoebe asked slightly in a joking matter.
"In my defense, I could say the same about you," he retorted chuckling.
Phoebe lifted both her hands, "Touché, I guess being a 'work-a-holic' runs in the family. (ahem) So, what do you have for me?"
This was the most crucial moment for the general. The atmosphere seemed less tense with the initial humor, but now both siblings had to act serious. Phoebe stared at her brother's gaze intently to show he had her undivided attention. There was no backing out as SG nodded slowly and mentally drew a deep breath.
"Sister," he began. "The good news is that I have finally developed a new strategy for the war effort. I'm sure you're well aware that I plan to present it to the council tomorrow."
Her face brightened a little, "Yes, judging from the way how everyone's reacting, I'd say what you may have for us seems promising. But, this is speaking from first impressions so I guess I can't really comment about it until then. What's the bad news?" She frowned in concern as she asked.
SG looked away briefly as he leaned back on his chair. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat for a few moments before leaning forward with his elbows on his lap. "This plan I intend to provide for the council is designed to minimize casualties without having to compensate for time..." He looked away and swallowed before continuing, "However, I am troubled as to what you might think about it."
Phoebe tilted her head in confusion, "What do you mean? I don't seem opposed to it if that's the case. Instead of beating around the bush, why don't you just tell me what's wrong. For all I know, you could be stressing over something that isn't as bad as you think."
He nodded, "Alright, I'm just spit-balling here anyway so-"
She gestured for him to stop rambling.
The general quickly straightened his posture. "The plan can only work if it breaches the core principle of total honesty," he finally replied.
Her eyes narrowed as she stared at him critically, "Explain."
"It involves using deception, decoys, the whole works," he answered as he reached for his satchel. "Here, I'll even show you the details from the handout itself."
Several agonizing minutes later, Phoebe sat back on her chair. She had finished reviewing the battle strategy in silence her brother had drafted. There were no protests or heated arguments during the whole event, much to her brother's surprise.
"So," he began hesitantly. "I take it you understand now?"
The monarch looked away aimlessly as she processed everything in her mind. "How could I have been so stupid," she asked herself.
Her brother tilted his head in confusion, "Sis?"
"This law that I have established was designed to benefit our people's society. There would be no more secrets, no more lies. Because of that, most of the world truly knew that we the people would reform from our past transgressions. No longer did our civilization become feared as a belligerent superpower that was once under our father's rule. We have instead earned a respectable position among Ooo's leaders to improve foreign relations so that our kingdom would flourish in time."
She returned her gaze back to her brother, "What I did not realize back then was that it would literally affect all aspects in our society. I recall having workers and businessmen protesting about how their companies could no longer keep trade secrets. Secrets that make each and every one of them successful in their own way. Then there's the social setting. I'd get multiple reports of couples separating or experiencing strained relationships because they would argue over the simplest of things. I didn't think it was a big deal at the time and assumed that people were just simply whining."
SG could only nod as he listened. He had no idea where his sister was going in the conversation.
Phoebe continued, "But the worst part is how this law of mine has impacted our military. I should have known it would also limit our tactics to break through the defenses out there. It would be unrealistic to win this war effectively if all our battles are fought in the open." She gasped in realization, "Shoot, we could have had the outskirts by now!"
Her brother shrugged, "Well, I didn't think the same thing as well up until this point. No one could have known."
The monarch replied, "I may have restored our kingdom's reputation with the law initially, but I have also brought our culture a step backwards. The only reason why there's probably so much support for the war effort is because our entire existence is at stake. Otherwise, I don't think I'll have enough troops to conduct a campaign in the first place." She stood up from her seat and straightened her posture, "Brother, as of now, you are hereby authorized to initiate your next mission. Do what you must to win this war. I must go and fix things at the homeland in the meantime. Hopefully, the damage I have done with this law isn't as severe as I think."
He stood up and bowed, "Yes, sister." As he left, he could only think about how he managed to have everything work in his favor. He shook his head and thought, "Well, that was unexpected... I better make use of this luck I have."
Elsewhere at the base, Cinnamon Bun was surveying the outskirts with a pair of binoculars. A few officers accompanied him, keeping an eye out for any changes in the Candy defense lines.
"Anything?" Major Maddox asked.
CB shook his head slightly, "All I see is another group of officers staring right back at us, but other than that, nothin'."
The pastry suddenly lowered his binoculars when his phone rang, "Hello?"
"Morning, CB. Can you prepare Jake 2 for takeoff? There's something very important I need to take care of real quick," Phoebe answered.
"Um, sure. Okay. Anything else?"
"Can you also head to the mess hall and order my food to go," Phoebe asked sheepishly. "I, uh still haven't ate yet."
"Well, at least you're not starving yourself like have been recently," CB comforted. "It shall be done, your majesty. Everything should be ready for you in 10 minutes."
In no time at all, Phoebe strode out of her tent and walked briskly towards CB and the fire wolf. The pasty guardian nodded in greeting upon seeing her and held out a small paper bag.
"One breakfast meal on the go," CB said. "Mind telling me where we're going?"
"I need to return back to the Fire Kingdom as soon as possible," Phoebe replied as she took the meal with thanks. "There's something I should have done a long time ago."
