"You... did... WHAT?"

 

 

 

With a golden crown perched atop his head and regal attire adorning his form, the king occupied his majestic throne, his beard quivering with rage. Before him, Prince Morgan, the youngest of his three sons, cowered under his father's imposing presence. The king's golden eyes blazed with a potent fury, causing the very air in the throne room to swirl with turbulent currents. Prince Morgan struggled to maintain his footing as gusts of wind buffeted him.

 

In a desperate attempt to defend himself, Prince Morgan stammered, "Father! It was all part of a ruse! I had one of my men placed in the cell across from him to keep watch!"

 

The gusts of wind spiked as the king emitted a disdainful snort, then gradually subsided King Uther Dracobane berated Prince Morgan with a stern tone, "A fat lot of good THAT did! Somehow, the son of Baron Ratliff, a man renowned as the most formidable water mage in my entire kingdom, the very individual who commands unwavering loyalty from my entire fleet, and holds sway over our last remaining seaport... somehow, that man's son managed to meet his end under your so-called watch! And all of this, mind you, after you took him away from the university where he should have been placed under house arrest!"

 

The king rose from his throne and with a deliberate stride, slowly walked down the dais, his imposing presence bearing down on his son. Each step seemed to echo with an impending sense of judgment. He berated Prince Morgan with increasing intensity, "Instead of allowing the proper authorities to handle the situation, you took matters into your own hands, kicked him in the head, hauled him off to MY dungeon, and informed him he would meet his demise come morning when..."

 

Drawing near, the king leaned in so close that his voice was like a thunderclap, charged with the power of magic. The sheer force of the king's words physically drove his son back, compelling him to lean into the onslaught of his father's fury.

 

"YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO EXECUTE PRISONERS IN MY KINGDOM!"

 

Prince Morgan held up his arms to shield his face from the lashing wind, a literal manifestation of his father's anger. As the wind died down, it left his sleeves in tatters. The prince slowly lowered his arms to find his father still towering over him. The stillness was, in a manner, far more terrifying.

 

The king's left eye twitched, "It is STILL... my kingdom... correct?"

 

The prince backed up a step, "What?"

 

The king took a step to close the distance, "It is MY kingdom, right? You haven't laid claim to it when I wasn't looking... did you?" Yet another step, "This isn't an insurrection... is it?"

 

With wide eyes, the young prince shook his head emphatically, "No, father! I would never dream of it!" He gestured to the side, "Reed Attacked Me! TWICE! It was an empty threat to convince him his life was in danger!" He stuttered and waved his arms around, "So he would talk to the confidant I planted in the cell across from him! Who could have imagined he would take his own life?"

 

The king closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "People under curses will do things that you could not possibly imagine when backed into a corner."

 

The prince muttered under his breath, "It's not like anyone is going to miss him. Filthy half-human freak. Not even his father cares if he lives or dies."

 

The king lowered his hand and glared at his son, "It doesn't matter if anyone will miss him or not. What matters is what everyone will think. What matters is that Baron Ratliff is a supporter of your brother Lance and he can use this as a pretext to attack your position. I have been trying so HARD to keep you three under control and YET YOU ALL KEEP UP THIS PETTY BULLSHIT!"

 

The king let a long breath out of his nose before he turned to walk back to his throne. He sat down heavily as for the hundredth time he thought to himself where he had gone wrong raising his children, ~I never should have taken a concubine. A few months of pleasure for a lifetime of pain. That's when my wife turned on me and nothing has gone right ever since.~ Prince Morgan knelt before his father and bowed his head, "I'm sorry, father. I didn't plan this. I just... felt insulted. I didn't want to lose face. Besides... How can my brother blame me for this? Reed's suicide attempt was because of the curse he is under and I didn't cast it on him."

 

"INCORRECT."

 

Both the king and his son turned to look across the throne room. Entering quietly through one of the servant's entrances was the Second Prince, Lance. Blond hair, steel grey eyes, broad shoulders, and the chiseled features of a Greek god. He was big as an ox. He was quick as a cat.

 

He also had the brains of a fish.

 

Behind him walked a weasel with the face of an angel. Iago, The grandson of the king's dearly departed older brother. It was only the love for his brother's memory that kept him from having that steaming pile of poison exiled or executed. What complicated things was that Iago was also extremely intelligent and quite helpful to Lance.

 

If Iago wasn't so twisted, he might actually be good for his son.

 

Lance made his entrance, adorned in the resplendent uniform of the White Knights, its gold trim gleaming brilliantly. While technically he had yet to graduate, within the palace, he took pleasure in donning such opulent attire. It was widely anticipated that he would eventually lead the White Knights, the kingdom's most formidable fighting force. As he approached the dais, Lance's cape billowed dramatically around him until he came to a halt at its base.

 

Observing his brother's arrival, Morgan slowly rose to his feet, unwilling to meet Lance on bended knee. There was an air of tension between the two as if the grandeur of their attire and positions concealed a deeper conflict.

 

Lance cleared his throat, "My trusted advisor Iago has finished his investigation and it appears there is no trace of a curse upon Reed Ratliff." He smirked at his brother who glowered in return.

 

The king interjected, "Explain."

 

Iago stepped forward with a deep bow towards the king, "Of course, my liege. I brought both priest and witch to examine Reed and it turns out there is no sign of any curse." He spread his hands wide, "Most curious, Hmm? With that knowledge, I proceeded to investigate other possibilities." He reached under his arm to pull out a rolled-up scroll, "I have received eyewitness testimony that the third prince had arranged for Ratliff to be POISONED the morning of the incident!" Iago hunched up his shoulders and grinned at Prince Morgan who suddenly started sweating.

 

With all eyes upon him, Prince Morgan held up his hands, "Now hold on... that had nothing to do with this!" The King raised an eyebrow, "That? Explain... THAT."

 

Prince Morgan, "It was just a practical joke! You know... m-magic powder that makes you have the runs? Just... a Prank! N-not poison."

 

Iago gave a look like he accepted this excuse, "Oh. Just a prank? Ah. So... just a misunderstanding? I see... that would make sense... if that was the case." He offered the scroll to the king, "However, we have a witness who states that the victim was looking for... medication... medication he called Pro-Zack."

 

Iago turned to look at Prince Morgan, "I believe you have been seen talking with the Master of Assassins, Zachariah... and could not one say that Zack... ariah was... a PRO... fessional?" Iago stepped closer to Prince Morgan, "Is there any possibility that the victim, driven mad by whatever poison he was forced to ingest, was trying to tell people that he understood what had happened to him but because his mind was influenced, he could only tell people via CODED MESSAGES???"

 

The king winced. This is exactly what he feared. It wasn't his sons that would be the problem, but their supporters twisting the truth and using any obscure bit of trivia to control the narrative. If it was not for the rest of the kingdom, his family wouldn't have to deal with a fraction of the sibling rivalry. The king raised his voice, "ENOUGH!" One word ended any further conversation.

 

The king tapped a finger on the arm of his throne repeatedly before he continued, "Iago, thank you for your investigation. However, you are not entirely aware of the full extent of what has taken place. For this reason, I would order all of you to stop speculating and wait until MY investigation is completed. The main witness has still not recovered. For now, let us keep the accusations, and potential rumors, to a minimum." He glared at Iago, "I would hate to have to arrest anyone for leaking state secrets."

 

Iago just smiled and bowed low, "Your wisdom is vast, Your Highness."

 

The king snorted. Lance missed the subtle exchange, "Understood father. As soon as you are ready to act, please let me know." He bowed deeply, "By your leave, father." The king closed his eyes and nodded once. Both Iago and Lance turned and left.

 

As soon as the two exited, the king focused on Prince Morgan, "I suggest you go to the temple of Mira and pray for the life of Reed Ratliff." He turned his eyes to the exit through which his second son had just departed, "If he never wakes up...” He returned his focus to Morgan.

 

 

 

“Things could get very complicated for you.”