In the year 1618, the King was Richard Demetri Alexander Johnson, Blood of King Maximus, 'Whom fought for Mankind's Freedom'. Throughout the ages though, The Siege had been totally forgotten, leaving very few that knew the title of King Maximus.

King Richard was now 25 but was already known as a mature ruler that has ideas to help the people of Kralaide, so that it could become a more peaceful and prosperous land.

His marriage to his Queen had taken place two years beforehand, and an heir was born the year after. He was also gaining the loyalty of his governors, who helped him rule the land in different respectful areas.

It was this year that he came across Mahnu for the second time, not even knowing that she had helped to give him this life of the present.

The land of Kralaide consisted of nine towns that were all connected by dirt roads, except one. In the middle of the land was the capital, Conrella, popular for the royal lineage and there was nothing that you could not find there.

 

Most of the rice was transported from the south east, the wheat and grain were from the north, most of the rare and common herbs came from the south west and meat came from the north east. A great library, the biggest in Kralaide, was also in Conrella, which had many people go there to either teach or to study.

With trade being brought to the capital, it was also giving the outside towns more money to help with their own population. Without the aid of trade to the west and east towns, the King implemented to help them by sending resources to them, to help prevent against starvation and sickness.

All types of lands surrounded the busy districts of the capital and to get to any of them from Conrella was a week's ride of horseback.

Having a river going through from the north-east town of Brackan, through Conrella and then down to the south-east town of Bena, made the animals and rice bountiful.

East of the river was the town of Nowell, which was surrounded by marsh land and has no connected road to the capital. This was a main reason used that others did not enter the small town, and in return, this made Nowell a solitary place.

The north town of Cental was dry with some small hills, where as the south west town of Dragvie, largely consisted of desert.

To the north west was a lush green forest, which was perfect for the secret town of Havlish.

The south town of Harval was of green land that the children ventured out into happily and the west town of Anddin, was a rocky mountain range that was quite windy.

 

***

 

It was on the north skirt of the Rocky Mountains, that Mahnu was currently. Wind blew through her hair as she looked out to the horizon, the sun was setting far to the east.

The land before her looked as it did all the other times that she had come to this high place, even though that had occurred over a thousand years.

It looked...Peaceful...But Mahnu could feel the sufferings of the humans as she closed her eyes. Some were hungry, some were scared, some where in desperation and some were really unhappy…

…No matter the era, humans have the talent to get themselves into trouble…

Mahnu was thinking about the unchanging ways of humans, as there was still poverty, still skirmishes and still greed.

Why did I save them? She asked herself again.

Did they deserve to be saved, when they can't even help themselves? There are no God's now, and they are still suffering, I just want the voices and feelings in my head to go away. If they went away, then I could sleep. Sleep like a bear and go into hibernation, where even thousands of years will pass by and I do not awaken.

Then, if I had to wake, would I wake with a different perspective? Would I want to smile at the humans? Mahnu sighed to knowing that her ‘talent’ of feeling the suffering of the people wouldn’t disappear, even if she slept for a thousand years…Yet, she could not help but ask these questions…

She already knew the obvious that asking questions leads to wanting answers, and asking the same questions repeatedly, changed absolutely nothing!

 

Breathing in and closing her eyes, she tried to focus and get rid of some urgent need to clear her head, so that she could...Could what?

Eternity was a long time, she thought, opening her eyes. All the hunger she felt was because of them, all the thirst was because of them, all the physical abuse and fear.

Mahnu had thought many times, wondering if she had done the right thing of choosing the humans over her own kind. Because if all the humans had disappeared, she wouldn't feel this way.

But, she knew that the God's were abusing and killing the humans, so how could she have not betrayed and saved the humans, when she feels what they feel? It was like a trap that she had been in since her creation. That with the ‘talent’ that she has, she had no choice but to go against her own superior kind…

Mahnu sighed, what she hadn't thought of back then, at the time of The Siege, was that the suffering would continue afterwards…And so did she in return...

Nonetheless, it was done...There was no turning back...And she wasn't going to kill all the humans to make herself feel better. She may have attacked humans, but it was through defence and she had never killed anyone before, she wasn't going to start now...She knew that if she had killed someone, then she would suffer because their loved ones would suffer. It was…A lose-lose situation…

...Why...Why am I stuck like this?

 

What does it matter? She resigned, she had already travelled further down the path of questions before. It was time to stop and help without thinking! Don't think about anything anymore. Nothing!

Her selfish desire is to eliminate the cries for help, to put an end to the suffering, even though the war is long past over and even forgotten. Since her plan had been made…What is there to question? Yet…Questions always spring up in her mind, whether she likes it or not…It was just another type of lose-lose situation, which seems to be what her life is based on…

Yes, she thought, it's time to move on...Again.

Mahnu wonders which place is suffering the most, to know where to travel to next. She decides to head north, as she already knows about the secret town of Havlish and the King's Loyal Royal Knights. The assassination attempts upon the King, she finds, is the most crucial matter now, as she wanted this King to continue his reign. He was looking after the west and east towns more as, she knew, that they suffered the most. The previous King looked after the north and south towns more so, which in her opinion they hadn't needed it! So, her point of view, was that without the King of today, the more of the people and land would suffer. It was more of a long-term type of mission, even though she knew there were a quite a few other important matters as well. But, not only was she already close to Havlish, but if she doesn’t act now, then the King’s life may be forfeit. Again, if she travels north to save the king and someone dies elsewhere due to hunger, it is something that she can’t help…It was…A lose-lose situation…

There was already an assassin hiding in wait for the King's arrival, and going there will be one step closer into stopping the sufferings…Would eternal sleep then be closer?

It was a selfish desire, she thought, as she set off to the north.

For what she was good at, in her long existence, she endured on, with her denial and torment.  

 

***

 

In the north flourishing town of Cental, the governor was Gregory and he wanted the throne, as Mahnu had heard it. He was in his secret hideout, in a cave amongst the many hills, looking at his assassins. He was telling them that if the others don't succeed in killing the King in the north west, they are to try when the King returns.

It wasn’t like he knew about the secret town of Havlish, nor understood exactly why the King was going to the northwest…But that was all irrelevant. The life he wanted to take was going that way, so that is where he sent his men!

Gregory leaves for his relatively large estate, which had a big house, on a big hill, overlooking the town that he was very proud of.

Cental was the second most popular town in Kralaide, but never able to compete with the capital Conrella. Knowing that he wasn’t able to be as popular as the capital, instead, Gregory had investigated and obtained many people to be in his town. Bought off, or schemed against, Gregory had many assassins and people who would help him achieve his ultimate goal of power. The only thing that he couldn’t seem to possess, was that of doctor’s…For some reason, doctor’s where unobtainable.

Upon entering into his house, servants bowed and showed him respect, making Gregory hold his head up higher in satisfaction…

 

Gregory's brother, Zachary, was the governor of the north-eastern town of Brackan and he had come to visit.

Gregory greeted his younger brother in annoyance and in reply Zachary snidely remarked of taking his beautiful town away from him one day while he was gone.

After a short silence, Zachary tells him that he was going into the capital to confer to His Majesty and to trade, and wonders if he'll met the governor of the south-eastern town of Bena.

"That fox always has a plan up his sleeve!" Zachary said in relation to his secret enemy and the past ploys.

Zachary was unsure if any other town or governor had seen what the fox does, as it is done discretely. Buying and selling treasures, profiting a large sum of money. Even some people had gone missing from the town of Bena, and that of his own town of Brackan…

"I just wished I cared more for other things, besides the seat with power!" Gregory said, smirking at his brother.

He looks so old, Zachary thought, older than his fifty years.

It was Zachary's opinion that his older brother didn't look at all trustworthy and shook his head to Gregory still being a governor.

Zachary thought he made a wasted journey…He let out a sigh, us brothers have never been close, and it looks like we will never be.

Their past included that of his eldest brother being doted upon so often, that he ended up wanting everything…And himself, Zachary, grew up seeing this and only able to have so much, yet wanting to find a way on his own, where he will be recognized for what he’s achieved. Their well-off family had given him enough to be able to learn to become a governor, just like his eldest brother, but he still felt like he needed to do more to be seen…

Thinking of his own strong army, he wanted to set that fox down south back into order for the King but is having trouble! It has come to a point where a skirmish may not be prevented, and he knew that the King would not look upon that very well. But…The fox down south…If only he could find evidence of the traitorous things he has done. Yet, just like his brother, he was unable to find anything concrete and crucial at all…Because if he did find something small, and went to make it known, suddenly it would either disappear or someone would be killed…So, whatever evidence he finds now, it has to be something big!

 

He looked at his selfish, greedy brother and wondered, even though his thoughts just now were ill of him, if he could get his help in any way…What was happening in Bracken, was something different and he needed advice. There was something rising up amongst the people, that Zachary hadn't kept an eye on and now he feels overrun and even unable to lead his own town!

It was even quite embarrassing, he thought, as he put his head in his hands. He already had enough problems!

Yet, somehow, now all his other problems didn’t seem to be as important as this one, but, he was stomped on how to deal with it…As it was, it didn’t make any sense, it didn’t seem to have an explanation…So, how was he going to ask for help when he wasn’t even sure of what the problem was in the first place!

Zachary sighed in frustrated, I'm a governor, I must take control!

He left his brother's estate for the week-long journey south to the capital.

 

***