They were seated and Sedric was having a happy talk with the King, when the subject turned to the woman by His Majesty’s side once again.

"Your Majesty, I didn't think you were going to have more wife's. I'm glad I am wrong. There are way too many pretty flowers…To ignore them all would be quite rude."

Mahnu took off the hood, getting everybody's attention, and she stared at Sedric for a moment. Mahnu had enough of his silent snide comments at the King. He was such a nasty person beneath his exterior that she wanted to move on with her plan!

"Tablet." Everyone was quiet after her one word and she could see that Sedric thought about what she was talking about.

"Is there something wrong? Your Highness?" His words seemed unconcerned, it was more like he was happy to have the chance that the ‘flower’ was talking to him.

Mahnu got up and without a word, walked away, William followed closely after her.

…She knew exactly where she was going and what she was looking for.

What worried her…Was who was it that Sedric was going to give the tablet too in a day or two?

His mind had been fuzzy, and she had not been able to see the memory properly…All she got was that Sedric had a need, for no explainable reason, to show someone this tablet soon…

"Ah...Sedric when...When will we expect the next trade of rice?" Trying to get the people’s attention from the slightly rude behaviour of Mahnu, the King could only bring up business matters.

The King inwardly sighed at Mahnu's ways, but he knew what she was doing.

The idea of the tablet being said more then it is required, was a better option then asking for it politely and having the chance that Sedric would state that he has no idea upon what they would be talking about…But the King still didn’t like that the only person who could retrieve the tablet, was his lovely woman…

 

 

"Mahnu...Normally we do things more politely." William said, continuing to follow her into a room that resembled a bedroom.

It seemed like the master's bedroom, as some expensive items were around…The walls had not only tapestry, but artwork and some ornaments were near the bed head and also on the dresser. There was left over wine beside the bed and the bedsheets had yet to be made…Only making Mahnu feel sick once again…

Sedric’s lifestyle included women…Women to warm his bed…And whatever woman he wanted at the time. Whether it would be another’s wife that goes missing for a few hours and threatened before returning or a woman that was ‘more experienced’…

Obviously, he had been intimate with another, not long before they had arrived.

 

"If thoughts could be heard, the one who isn't being polite, would have been Sedric." Mahnu easily took this moment to speak badly of the Governor.

William stopped, astonished, "What did he think?"

"He only acts like a normal gentleman...but beneath..."

Clenching her hands again, Mahnu sneered. Beneath his ‘Gentleman’ he is a creep! A creep that kills and takes whatever he wants! He was more then a creep…He was a human monster!

As she continued to look for some time, of a spot from his memory, Mahnu tried to wonder how she had not come here earlier when she was a God and take care of this Governor herself!

Touching a strange device, Mahnu turned, remembering that she didn’t like getting involved with Governors…

William watched as she got the tablet, from a hiding spot in the wall, and turned back towards him. "Valtac and Sedric, Gregory...They don't do what Governors are supposed to do."

"Valtac?" William was a bit worried. Gregory was trying to assassinate the King, was he like that too?

"No...He uses the people for his own gain and Sedric takes the people for granted and scares them. That is why I say they shouldn't be Governors."

 

William was still shocked…Could she be telling the truth?

As far as he was aware Valtac had a reputation of being a good Governor, Sedric didn’t seem to have much of a good or bad reputation, just a Governor that did his job…Where they both bad? And if they were…

"Why don't you tell the King?" William asked.

"Is reading minds a common thing?" There was a reason why Mahnu had a response to this question. It is because there was a past that she had done exactly as William asked…

William followed her out of the room, a bit baffled to her change of subject. "No, I've never met anyone besides you that can read minds."

"Exactly." Mahnu concluded, not elaborating for the confused William whatsoever.

William was confused. "I don't understand"

Mahnu stopped before they reached the corridor, that led back to the King. "Humans." Was all she said.

 

Standing there with her, William thought that she should help because she knew about it.

"And?"

William replied, "And what?"

"If I wasn't here? What then? I can only do so much William. Other previous Governors also...They started okay but did the same thing and used their power over the people. Others before them too..."

William stared at her, swallowing, then said, "So, the Governors became corrupt, after..."

"Precisely. Evidence plays a part...Gregory never intended to follow and help in the first place, but he wasn't the first nor will he be the last. Governors hold a lot of power...And my word is all I have."

William stared at her. He hadn't thought much beyond his own time. How many Governors were corrupt, how many became corrupt?

"I tried twice...Knowing that those Governors were bad for the people." And to ease her workload…

William waited patiently and curiously for her to continued.

"One Governor buried me alive, the other got me exiled from the capital, in the process it shook up the whole lot of them and even the King. It took Kralaide a year to get back to normal."

He saw that Mahnu was looking far away, perhaps to a time well before he was born. And she was…Back to when she had tried to tell people that the Governors were using their power to extort people and do whatever they wanted. The Governor that had buried her alive had done it to silence her and did it behind the King’s back. After she got out of where she was buried, she found out that the Governor had been questioned but had gotten away with what he was doing, simply because she was no longer around and that he covered up his tracks better then he had already done so.

 

The second Governor had schemed against her vigorously! He had entrapped her and even ‘killed’ her, but Mahnu had tried her hardest to find the evidence that the King apparently needed…It was at this time that she realized that her honest voice was not enough…That her seeing into a person’s mind and hearing their thoughts, gave her no such luck into doing what she thought was best for the humans.

No, they needed something called evidence, simply because they didn’t want to put someone away when they were innocent.

What was the point then?

If she wasn’t able to find evidence, then the innocent people that the Governor hurts, did their voices mean nothing too?

Mahnu still did not quite understand it all…On how a Governor can silence so many people and how evidence was needed, when she knew through and through that the man had been bad…

It had taken her many years to figure out that it all ended up with trust. The humans didn’t trust the word of someone they didn’t know…And that humans were scared. Scared of dying and that she still hadn’t understood that feeling…

In the end, Mahnu had dressed as someone else, but the Governor had recognized her and became very scared, immediately scheming against the new person she had become, to get rid of her once again…And so, after that, she kept her distance from each and every Governor. They had ‘killed’ her twice and had schemed against her to not be allowed within the capital.

 

Had she not done enough? She had tried, she had given it her all for two Governors and she had achieved nothing!

Why were humans so quick to ‘kill’ or ‘scheme’ when someone was just telling the truth?

Was it because…They knew they were bad and needed to silence whomever was against them?

Then…The question that confused Mahnu the most was, if they get worried so easily, why do bad things?

All she could think of, is that when someone has a lot…They seem to become someone else and become greedy, a liar, someone that does bad things so that they don’t lose what they have…To that…Mahnu wondered if she should steal every single piece of money from the whole of Kralaide…Wondering if doing that, they then could change?

Yet…She did not do that…

Instead, she did as she was told and just focused upon the people in the towns and stayed away from the humans completely.

After that though, she didn’t want to be near them, she didn’t particularly like them much back then and found it easier just to stay away…

Of course, this was already over five hundred years ago now…Yet, she still felt betrayed by humans…

"Greed is a human's downfall." This is what she has discovered all these years…

She suddenly moved again, and William couldn't continue their conversation as they were already seen by the others waiting for them. His and Mahnu's worlds were completely different. Hers was full of the real humans, God's and a lot of bad things in this world…And William felt like he didn't know anything at all.

 

"Wait! That's mine!" Sedric pointed to the tablet that Mahnu was holding.

Mahnu ignored him and went to the corridor, that led to the exit. She really did want to ask Sedric about the person he was supposed to see in a day or two, but it was clearly out of the question…Seeing him want the tablet back so badly, Mahnu knew that she was better just to get out of here as fast as possible first.

"Sedric! Please..."

Sedric interrupted the King, "Give it back!"

Mahnu stood her ground and watched as William stood in front of her for protection.

"Sedric!" The King's words finally got through to him and he turned to the King.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. But that..."

The King interrupted his Governor, "No, I apologize. I will pay double with the next trade of rice...Marcus, make sure I remember."

With the King's demand, all Sedric could do was go silent and nod but Mahnu knew there was a lot more too it then that…He was looking at getting some revenge in the future for this…And on top of revenge, he was also going to get the tablet back…

"Again, my apologizes, but Mahnu seems to be tired and I must leave."

"Mahnu?" Sedric asked. Mahnu? It seems familiar. Where have I heard that before?

 

"Yes, please. I would like to return." Mahnu said in haste. There was only one Mahnu, she was sure, and he didn't know my name before now.

…It was clear that Sedric has read the tablet!

The King got up and stood beside her, looking at Sedric. "I am glad we had a chance to meet. I look forward to reuniting again in Conrella."

A chance to met me. You just wanted my tablet...Mahnu? Mahnu...That's right! Mahnu the God!

Mahnu took a breath in, worried, and Sedric saw it. They were silent because of her reaction and she heard his next thoughts…My dear flower, you are definitely worthy of me. You are even better than the tablet! I will get both of you back here in no time!

As the King turned her and walked her out of Sedric's home, Mahnu breathed out. "He knows who I used to be and will try to take both me and the tablet."

The King stared at her as he continued walking out, nearly tripping on the way. "Mahnu?"

She could feel his uneasiness. "He wasn't sure about what was written on the tablet...Until he heard my name and remembered it from reading the tablet."

Mahnu looked back, "He will pursue the tablet further from what he remembers. He may, even now, look for The Chest of the God's."

"It would be stupid for him to even consider taking you, Mahnu." King Richard said. It is well known that it is death to hurt or take a consort of the King. He couldn’t even remember it happening to any consort in a very long time! Isn’t it because people are scared to do so? Why should they start to worry now?

Mahnu looked at him, "Nonetheless, that is what he is thinking."

 

***