Chapter 10

Everyone was currently at a standstill. Iola was still being held back, but he'd stopped struggling. His wife, the traitor, was on her knees and refused to look anywhere else.

"What do you mean?" Scarlet asked as she stepped towards Iola.

"That woman is my wife," Iola said. "Your Highness, please explain to me why she's being bound like that. She's done nothing wrong!"

Scarlet glanced at Iola's wife. "It appears that you don't know." She turned to the guards. "Take them to the prison cells. No one is to speak with them without my permission."

The guards nodded as they took both Iola and his wife to prison. Everyone starts to disperse after that.

Eiko came just in time to see them get taken away. "It seems I missed something."

"We will talk about it later," Scarlet said. "Have your men settle in. Liliora could help you with that. You're familiar with her, yes?"

Eiko nodded. "She's been a tremendous help to me. Thank you, Your Highness."

Scarlet turned to Isaac and sighed. "This complicates things."

Isaac nodded. "We tried looking for his wife when we were in Losteria. We couldn't find her. Didn't think that she'd be the traitor." Isaac looked around to see if anyone was listening in on them. "Did you have to send both of them in jail?"

"I can't risk it," Scarlet said. "Iola's not thinking rationally right now. He might try to free her." She cursed under her breath. "He might even have influenced some soldiers with him. If he follows his wife, then they could all turn on us."

Isaac understood her concerns. The worst kind of enemies to have are the ones who are on the inside.

"I'll talk to Iola and his wife tonight," Isaac said. "Can I have your permission?"

"I'll come with you," Scarlet said but Isaac shook his head.

"Let me go alone. His wife might not cooperate as much if you're there." Isaac said.

Scarlet wanted to argue, but she knew that he was right. "Fine." She relented.

Just when they were about to leave, Isaac saw Polus running toward him and giving him a bear hug. "Ow, ow, ow!" Isaac said.

"My friend!" Polus exclaimed happily. "We made it!"

"Yep, we did," Isaac said. When Polus let go of him, Scarlet raised an eyebrow. "Ah, where are my manners? Scarlet, this is Polus Longleaf. Finest merchant west of Arya."

Polus bowed politely. His demeanor completely changed when it comes between Isaac and strangers. "Polus Longleaf, at your service," Polus said. "And who might this beautiful lady be?"

"Scarlet Snow." Scarlet introduced herself. "Queen of the White Kingdom."

Polus's jaw dropped. He looked at Isaac for confirmation and Isaac nodded. Polus immediately bowed even lower. "Forgive my rudeness, Your Highness!"

Scarlet remained calm but from her twitching lips, Isaac knew she found this amusing. "It's fine."

"Your Highness, pardon my belligerent disrespect, but may I have your permission to set up shop here?" Polus asked. "I promise, it will be worth your while."

Scarlet raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Well, Isaac here did say you're the finest merchant west of Arya. If that’s true, I see no problem in that."

"The finest!" Polus repeated. "You won't regret it! I can even give you some special services if you wish."

Isaac remembered what kind of services Polus offered. "Let's talk about that another time," Isaac interjected. "But I think the Queen would have no problem letting Polus and the other merchants set up their businesses here, right? They are merchants after all. It's what they do."

Scarlet seemed amused. "Very well," Scarlet said and Polus's face lit up with joy. "You can use the city square to set up your business. But no funny business with my people."

"Oh, I would never do that. Thank you very much, Your Highness!" Polus bowed again.

"By the way, how are you gonna set up shop?" Isaac asked. "All of your things are in Losteria."

"That's not a problem." Polus grinned. He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. For a while, nothing happened. But then, the ground rumbled beneath Isaac and something exploded from underneath, sending Isaac flying a few meters away.

Tristina popped her head up from the ground and pulled herself up along with the cart. The ground where she came from closed in immediately, leaving no trace whatsoever.

"Neat trick, eh?" Polus asked Isaac who was laying on his back on the ground.

"So neat," Isaac grumbled.

Line Break

Isaac decided to go and meet Iola’s wife alone before he took any breaks. Since he’s a King Candidate, he had the right to do so.

Iola’s wife sat calmly in a rundown prison cell. Her wrists and ankles were shackled with the chains snaking and attached to the stone walls. The prison bars were thick and reinforced, so there was no way for her to get out.

Even if she could, she showed no intention of doing so.

“The future Pale King.” She muttered with a small smile. “How nice of you to visit.”

If Isaac didn’t know that she was a traitor, she looked like a sweet and innocent woman.

“I don’t believe we’ve met.” Isaac said.

“My name is Fleur Ishtar. My husband has told me a lot about you. He’s convinced that you’re the Pale King, the savior to this kingdom.” She said, “He admires you.”

“I’m not the Pale King.”

Fleur chuckled. “You can fool my husband, but you can’t fool me.” Fleur said. “I know who you are.”

Isaac tensed. He looked around to see if there were any guards listening in on their conversation. “You’re mistaken.”

“Oh, if there’s anyone that’s mistaken it’ll be you, Your Highness.” Fleur called him that title in a mocking way.

“And your mistake is that you’ve betrayed your own kingdom. You betrayed the White Queen. And you betrayed the man you loved.”

“I did what I had to.” Fleur stood up. The chains rattled with her movement. “I’m willing to sacrifice everything.”

“So you’re willing to sacrifice your husband?”

“I sacrificed for my husband.” Fleur argued.

“All you did was hurt Iola.”

“What I did was save him.” Fleur growled. “Scarlet has no idea what she’s getting into and she’s going to take down the whole kingdom with her.”

Isaac furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“You think I don’t know that Scarlet is preparing for war?” Fleur said as she stepped closer to Isaac. “You think I don’t know why she brought you in?”

Isaac wanted to say something, but he couldn’t find the words to do so.

“You’ve chosen the wrong side to be in, Pale King. And it’s not because Scarlet is on the losing side. It’s because you don’t know who you’re working with.”

“What are you saying?” Isaac asked.

Fleur gave him one good glare before turning her back to him. “I have nothing more to say to you.”

Isaac wanted to ask her more questions, but it was clear that Fleur had no intentions of saying anything else.

Line Break

"Are you sure about this?" Scarlet asked as they descended down the stone stairway leading to the prison cells accompanied by one guard.

Isaac nodded. "I'll talk to him."

At the bottom of the stairway, two more guards stood at either side of a double wooden door. Scarlet nodded at them and they opened the door of Isaac, revealing a jail cell.

Just as you would expect from jails, the place was horrible. In each cell, there was a window on the ceiling but it was a few meters tall, like a chimney so it would be impossible to climb out of. The bars were hardened steel so you couldn't bend or cut through them easily.

Besides that, there's nothing except a wooden bed. In one of the cells, Isaac saw Iola sitting miserably with his head down.

Isaac gave Scarlet a reassuring nod before the guards closed the door behind him. There were two other guards stationed in the prison with them, so Isaac wouldn't have to worry about suddenly being attacked.

He stepped towards Iola. "How are you feeling?"

Iola sighed. "Confused. Scared." Iola said. It seems he'd calmed down a bit after his tantrum a few hours ago.

"Have you met your wife?" Isaac asked.

"They kept her somewhere else," Iola muttered.

"Has she told you what she did?" Isaac asked. After a while, Iola nodded. "Then you understand what needs to happen."

"But she's . . ." Iola's words trailed off. Isaac knew he wanted to believe that his wife was innocent, but Iola knew that was not true. Fleur even confessed to him. "I can watch over her. I can make sure she never does it again. You have my word."

Isaac clenched his fists. "That's not enough," Isaac said regrettably.

Iola slammed the bars which caused the guards to grab their weapons and be on alert, but Isaac told them to stand down.

"Then tell me what I must do!" Iola said angrily. "Tell me what I have to do to let her free! I'll take her punishment! I'll do anything!"

Aside from anger, Isaac recognized another tone in his voice.

Desperation.

He loved his wife, no matter what. Despite what she did, he still loved her.

A few months ago, Isaac would've probably sympathized with him. He'd probably look for a way for it to be a win-win for everyone.

But he's different now. He understood the responsibilities that will be on his shoulders when he’s announced as King. It's no longer his life he has to worry about. There are thousands of lives he has to think of.

"I'm sorry," Isaac said. The words tasted bitter in his mouth. He hated it. "By tomorrow, the execution will be held. Out of respect for you, it will be done in secret and as painless as possible."

Iola collapsed to his knees and started crying. Isaac felt bad to the point he wanted to cry himself, but he stayed strong.

"You will be relieved of your position and will be banished by the White Kingdom, never to return again," Isaac said. "That is the best that I can offer."

Iola said nothing as he sobbed against the steel bars.

"I will let you spend one last night with your wife," Isaac said as he started to walk away. "Say your goodbyes. Make sure to leave no regrets."

Isaac walked away from Iola. It took all of his willpower to not look back at him. Sympathy and comfort is the last thing Iola needs right now. Those emotions are worthless to someone who’s about to lose their loved one. It might have been harsh, but it was necessary.

"Thank you," Iola muttered as Isaac walked through the door. He stepped out to where Scarlet was waiting and the prison doors closed behind them.

"Are you okay?" Scarlet asked.

"I'm fine," Isaac said but he knew better. He was not fine. He felt horrible. He'd never been directly responsible for someone's life before, but he has now. And it was the worst feeling Isaac had ever felt.

And Scarlet noticed it too. She gave Isaac's hand a gentle squeeze for comfort. Isaac smiled appreciatively before they went outside.

The outside of the White Kingdom was more merry and festive compared to the prison.

The city square had turned into a makeshift open night market. Dozens of shops and stalls were built and people were bustling to buy and sell what they wanted.

Surprisingly, there were some local products that the merchants were very interested in. Such as the Blue Crystal, which you can only find in the White Kingdom and was made using pure ice. Polus told him that these kinds of jewelry would make the nobles go nuts.

Where Polus had set up shop, he saw Liliora and Tristina also helping with selling their items.

Outside of the tavern, Isaac saw Meng having fun with Eiko and the rest of the Leviathan crew, drinking and singing along.

Everyone was having fun and deservedly so. Isaac even caught Elisa looking for stuff accompanied by Hillut.

But Isaac had trouble feeling good about everything. Despite the success of his quest, the feeling of having to sentence someone to death left a lingering bad taste.

"You go on ahead and enjoy yourself." Isaac smiled at Scarlet. "I'll catch up."

Scarlet looked concerned. "Are you sure?"

Isaac nodded. "I just need some air," Isaac said. Scarlet looked like she wanted to argue, but instead, she just nodded and left Isaac alone.

He went to the harbor where he knew there would be almost no people. Everyone was enjoying themselves at the city square. Isaac only had the sound of the waves to calm him down.

He wasn't sure he could get used to this. It's a really shitty feeling, to put it simply. If it had been some random nobody that he didn't know, it probably wouldn't have felt this bad.

But since it was Iola and his wife, he felt horrible. Mainly for Iola, who had to go through so much. He's going to lose his wife and will be banished from the White Kingdom.

Isaac wondered if all kings felt this way. The burden of having to end someone's life. Even though it was necessary, it still left him wondering if he'd done the right thing.

"You seem troubled." A familiar voice interrupted his train of thoughts. Isaac looked over to see Darius watching over the ocean.

"I guess you could say that." Isaac sighed as he joined Darius. "How do you do it, Darius? It feels wrong to take a life."

"Each life I take is not without reason.” Darius said. “I do my best to carry on with my life after it.”

"I wish I could do that," Isaac said. The ocean wind blew gently across his face.

"It's not something you get used to easily," Darius said. "But over time, you will learn that some deaths are necessary. It's one life for the benefit of hundreds."

"It could be for the benefit of the entire human race for all I know," Isaac said. “Doesn’t make it feel any less horrible.”

Darius managed a humorless chuckle. "I have no advice for you regarding that. It's something you need to learn as you grow as a King."

Isaac can't say that he's looking forward to it. It's not like he wanted to run away from his responsibilities. It's just a really shitty feeling to have.

“But I will say this.” Darius said. “Caring for a life you take is one of the qualities of a great King.”

Isaac wondered if there were any truths to what Darius said.

Line Break

Isaac didn't sleep the night before because his mind was in a disarray. He couldn't stop thinking about what was going to happen today.

"You didn't have to come today, you know," Scarlet said. She was wearing her formal palace outfit. A white dress that poofed a bit near the waist and another layer of thin see-through silk over it.

"I have to see it through," Isaac said. By this point, his body was begging for some rest but his mind was adamant to stay awake. The last time Isaac rested was before they entered Shipwreck Maw.

"You look horrible." Scarlet said, which was exactly how he felt. But one way or another, he was going to see this execution through.

They arrived at the open palace grounds, where no more than five people gathered. Iola's wife was bound to a wooden chair. From her expression, she seems to have accepted her fate. She didn't panic or show fear.

Her expression was calm and peaceful.

Aside from her, there was only one guard and the executioner with them. Isaac had promised Iola that she would be granted a swift and painless death. He wishes to uphold that promise.

"Fleur Ishtar," Scarlet called. "You are hereby sentenced to death under the act of treason. Have you made your peace?"

Fleur said nothing.

"Do you have any last words?" Scarlet asked. Again, she said nothing. "Then we shall proceed. May your soul rest in peace."

The executioner, who was a hooded magician, starts chanting a spell. A soft white light starts to surround Fleur. She closed her eyes as if to embrace what was coming next. As the magician stopped chanting, Fleur's body went limp.

She was dead, just like that.

It almost sickens Isaac to know how easily it was to take away a life.

Even then, the expression on her face was peaceful.

The magician stepped toward her to check if there were any signs of life. "She's passed." The magician said.

Scarlet muttered a silent prayer to Fleur. "May she find forgiveness in the afterlife."

Line Break

The next thing they had to handle was Iola's banishment. Similar to his late wife, Iola seemed to accept his fate. But compared to Fleur who looked calm and peaceful, Iola looked weak and miserable.

Unlike the soldier he was when Isaac first met him.

Isaac and Scarlet waited by the gates of the White Kingdom as the guards accompanied Iola with chains. When they reached the gates, they unshackled him. Iola had nothing on him save for the thick clothing on him.

Iola looked miserable which made this even harder.

"Iola Ishtar," Scarlet called. "You have been of great service to the White Kingdom. But given the current circumstances, I have no choice but to banish you from this kingdom. You are to never set foot here ever again. Is that understood?"

Iola didn't respond. It's like he had lost all will to live.

He couldn't let it end like this.

"Can I have a word with you?" Isaac said to Iola. He dragged him away from Scarlet and the rest of the guards. "Iola, look at me."

Iola looked up to Isaac. His eyes looked defeated.

"I'm sorry it has come to this." Isaac gripped his shoulders lightly. "If it helps, there's a village down south. The Village of Rost. It's where I come from."

Iola stared at Isaac with nothing but sadness.

"If you ever want to have a fresh start in life, go there. Use my old home. Talk with the bartender. Just tell him you know me. He will help you out." Isaac said. "You have a strong and kind heart.. Do not lose hope. Don't give up. As your friend, I believe in you."

Perhaps it was just Isaac's imagination, but there was a glimmer of light in his eyes. A spark that ignited a small fire within him.

But he said nothing.

The best they could do to ease his journey was to send him over Whitewash Peaks alive. Once they're over the mountain, he's on his own.

Isaac thought it’d be better to not say anything about what Fleur said to him the night before her execution. Let Iola’s memory of his wife be what he wants to remember her as.

For better or worse, Isaac hoped he would bounce back.

When the gates closed, Isaac found himself staring at it. Inside, he was hoping for something. As to what it is, he doesn't know it himself.

"Are you going to be okay?" Scarlet asked.

Isaac nodded weakly. "I'll be fine."

Scarlet nodded as she and the guards went back to the Palace. After a while of standing and doing nothing, he turned around and tried walking back but his legs felt wobbly.

Pretty soon, he was falling face-first into the ground and he would've hit it pretty hard if someone hadn't caught him.

"Isaac!" Eiko called. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Isaac said but his voice sounded unbearably weak.

"No, you're not," Eiko said. What was she doing out here this early anyway? "I'm taking you to the infirmary."

"I just need some rest," Isaac said but as he is now, he could barely lift a finger. "I don't need to go to the infirmary."

"Yes, you do," Eiko said. She slung his arm across her shoulder and hefted him up. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

The walk was fuzzy and blurry in Isaac's head. When he was finally laying down on a bed, his body almost surrendered immediately.

"I'll get the physician to check up on–"

"Stay." Isaac held onto Eiko's hand. And that's the last thing he remembered before finally falling asleep.

Line Break

When Isaac woke up, his entire body felt sore. He yawned and stretched, to which his joints made satisfying cracking noises.

Where was he? He tried to remember the last thing that happened. He'd collapsed at the gates and Eiko was there.

He looked around to see that he was in the infirmary. Sitting next to his bed with her head on the bed, sleeping soundly, was Eiko.

Had she carried him all the way here?

As Isaac moved, Eiko stirred in her sleep before her eyes fluttered open. "Oh," Eiko said. "You're finally awake."

"What happened?" Isaac sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"You almost passed out," Eiko said. "Well, not almost. You did pass out. I carried you to the infirmary."

"Sorry," Isaac said, slightly embarrassed.

"Don't sweat it. Let's just call it even." Eiko said, remembering how Isaac took care of her when they were on the Leviathan. "You looked horrible back then."

"What did you mean back then?"

"You've been out cold for like two days."

Isaac groaned. "Why is it that when I'm with you, I always sleep for more than a day?"

Eiko shrugged. "Not my fault." She said, "Hey, guess what?"

"What?"

"We'll be staying here for the month so you're gonna have to get used to us."

Isaac chuckled. "I'm looking forward to it," Isaac muttered.

Eiko seemed to notice his lack of enthusiasm. "You okay?"

"Everybody keeps asking me if I'm okay," Isaac said.

"Well, for one thing, you look terrible," Eiko said. "Also, you look . . . sad."

Isaac sighed. "I guess you could say that." He wanted to tell Eiko what's going through his head, but if he does then Eiko is going to know that he's actually the future Pale King. Since Scarlet hasn't made any announcement yet, he couldn't risk it. "Just been going through a lot of stuff."

"Does it have something to do with the traitor and her husband?" Eiko asked.

"Something like that."

"Well, I have no right to advise you on anything since I don't know what happened," Eiko said as she put her hand on his. "But I'll tell you one thing. There's always a silver lining."

Isaac managed a humorless chuckle. "If there is one, I can't see it."

Eiko gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "It might not be today. It might not be tomorrow or even any time soon, but there's always a silver lining."

Isaac looked into Eiko's blue eyes and smiled. "Thanks," Isaac said.

Eiko grinned. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have something to attend to." Eiko stood up. "Get well soon, Isaac."

Line Break

After another day or two in the infirmary, Isaac could finally walk around the city. Scarlet and Elisa visited a few times with both of them giving him an earful about not being careful enough.

Liliora, as usual, told me what kind of experiences she had and how things have definitely improved in the city.

Polus and Meng visited at the same time to tell him that they were working on a product to sell to the rest of Arya, some sort of magic wand from the Blue Crystals that you can only get from the White Kingdom. They seemed pretty excited about it.

For now, the streets of the White Kingdom were moderately packed. The visiting merchants were still selling their stuff, but it wasn't as crowded as it was a few days ago.

Despite that, Isaac still couldn't get over the fact of what had happened.

He found himself wandering aimlessly on the streets with no apparent purpose. This went on for a few days.

He has to clear his mind, but it can't be here. He has to leave for a few days. But he didn't want to ghost out on Scarlet as he did before, so he went back to the Palace and told her what he wanted to do.

"You're leaving again?" Scarlet asked.

"Just for a few days," Isaac said. Scarlet looked annoyed that Isaac had the audacity to ask this from her.

"Leave us," Scarlet told her guards. They marched out of the throne room until the two were alone. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

The expression on his face must've been depressing because her expression softened when she saw his face.

"What I did to Iola and his wife," Isaac said. "I still can't get over it."

Scarlet looked at him with concern. "It sucks, I know. But it's not going to get easier. You have a responsibility towards the people as their king and running away isn't going to solve anything."

"I'm not running away." Isaac insisted. "I just need time alone. To clear my thoughts."

Again, Scarlet looked concerned but there was also doubt in her eyes. "Where will you go?"

"Anywhere," Isaac said. "I can't be here right now. It won't take long."

"Take Darius with you."

Isaac shook his head. "I need to do this alone. Please."

Scarlet was debating against herself. "I just got you back and you want to leave again." Scarlet sighed. "Three days. That's all I'm giving you. If you don't come back after that, I'll have Hillut hunt you down."

"Thanks," Isaac said. He was about to turn away before Scarlet grabbed his hand.

"Whatever it is you're going through, I hope you'll get over it," Scarlet said. "I need you. I need my King."

Isaac gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll come back."

Line Break

"You're leaving again?" Liliora asked as Isaac drank his White Root Ale. "You want me to come with you?"

"Not this time," Isaac said as he put the mug down. "I'm going alone for this one."

"Are you sure about that?" Liliora asked. "It was hard enough when there were three of us. Not sure you're gonna survive out there alone."

"I'll be fine," Isaac said. "Look after the city for me, will you?"

Line Break

Lucky for him, his journey to the other side of Whitewash Peaks was relatively short compared to the first two times he climbed the mountain.

When he was gone on his quest, Scarlet had ordered her men into rebuilding and repairing the Snowy Path. The path going up is now usable, but they’re still working on clearing the cave that goes through the other side. At least it won’t take Isaac a whole day to climb over the mountain again.

Within half a day, Isaac was back on the other side of the mountain. But he didn't really have a purpose or a goal. There was no mission for him to complete or place he wanted to go to.

But it's not as if he's just going to sit still and do nothing. So he purchased a horse from Tuplin and started riding without any clear destination.

He enjoyed the evening breeze as the sky was tinted with orange. To his left and right were the familiar plains he'd used to seeing. Aside from a few pastures, there was nothing else in sight.

Aside from his bow, a quiver of arrows, his sword, a pouch of coins, and a few food supplies, he brought nothing else with him. He genuinely felt like a free adventurer.

He wondered if this was how his parents felt when they were traveling around the world.

By nighttime, he found an abandoned shack that he could stay in for the night. For some reason, he wasn't scared of bandits or whatever attacking him. He just felt safe at the moment.

The next morning, he continued to ride without any destination in mind, until he reached a kingdom.

Isaac had no idea where he was but using Whitewash Peaks and the sun as reference points, he knew he was heading east.

The kingdom itself was big but no bigger than the White Kingdom. Situated in the middle of the plains, it was surrounded by high stone walls with watchtowers watching every angle.

From the outside, Isaac could see a few cone-shaped roofs with the castle being the tallest building of them all.

It seems that they were having some sort of a festival going on as Isaac could hear music and cheering inside. Isaac rode his horse into the kingdom and rested his horse in the stables.

From there, he walked around the city. The city itself was just like most kingdoms he'd visited. Lively and lots of people around. The buildings and houses were decorated nicely so the city itself looked vibrant.

The main pathway was blocked off and people were gathering at the sides as if they were watching a parade. Since he didn't really have a plan in mind, Isaac decided to stay with the crowd and watch what the celebration was all about.

"What's the occasion?" Isaac asked one of the crowd.

"You don't know?" The old man said. "The King is here! He's back from the Southern Crusade!"

Isaac figured it was no big deal. He's heard of the Southern Crusade. The Sovereign King's campaign to expand the Empire's territory further down south since they control most of the land in Central and Eastern Arya anyway.

Down south was a collection of kingdoms and cities that are stuck in a constant battle with each other. Each of them has their own personal agenda so it's a never-ending civil war for control over Southern Arya.

The Sovereign King thought it'd be a good idea to use the disarray to his advantage, but it's harder than it sounds since the Southern Crusade lasted for almost five years now. But it wasn't a big deal since the Sovereign King put minimal effort into it, expending only a fraction of his true power to the cause.

Many kings from all kingdoms wanted to contribute and participate since if they do succeed, they get to claim the lands first.

The Southern Crusade isn't over, but it appears the king of this kingdom has returned from it and they're rejoicing.

Isaac heard the marching parade before he could even see it. People were cheering as lines of soldiers and knights marched through the city's main pathway. They carried the Empire's banner, which was odd since the kingdom has its own insignia that could be presented. Maybe it was just a way for the king to show his loyalty to the Empire.

Since it was nothing interesting, Isaac was about to walk away when he heard the loudest cheer yet coming from the crowd. He turned around and his attention immediately focused on one thing.

On a white steed, draped in black and gold armor, was a man. A gold crown sits on top of his head. His neatly trimmed beard showed maturity. He had a natural darkened skin tone and a really regal look, the kind of expression you’d find on seasoned warriors. His black hair was cropped short and had streaks of gray on it with the sideburns connecting with the trimmed beard. There were light wrinkles under his eyes and a scar running from the top of his left eyebrow all the way to the cheek.

He looked refined and intimidating. Like he's been through enough in life to tell you that you're wrong. His brown eyes also showed calmness and fortitude. As if nothing in the world could ever break him or intimidate him.

Despite all that, one thing stood out more than the others.

His Aura.

Even though he wasn't exerting it fully, Isaac could sense his Aura even from this far away. It made his skin tingle, and that's even with him suppressing it.

With such heavy armor and the guy's big size, Isaac was impressed the horse could carry him like it was nothing.

For a small city, Isaac was impressed they had a King that was this imposing. Maybe all the Kings are like that?

He was about to turn around and walk away but then their eyes met. The King seems to have locked his eyes on him and Isaac felt an overwhelming pressure around him. He was exerting his Aura onto him.

But the King's Aura was different. It wasn't intimidating. It wasn't dangerous. If Isaac had to describe it, he'd say it was authoritative. As if the King was saying 'sit the fuck down before I make you'.

Still, the pressure from his Aura was unbelievable. Isaac felt like he was being crushed by the weight of the world. It was enough to make his hands tremble. His knees felt weak.

He’d only experienced this kind of power twice. One was with Icirin. The Snow Dragon’s Aura was enough to make him suffocate.

The other was at Sarca . . .

But he maintained composure and challenged the King directly. It's not as if Isaac could exert his own willpower unto the King. He's not that strong, but he could at least resist it.

When the King noticed that Isaac was fighting back, he was surprised. The King held his hand up and the whole parade stopped. The people who were cheering gradually stopped as well, wondering why the King had stopped. Maybe he had something to say?

The King climbed down from his horse and made his way towards Isaac. The crowd parted for him as several of the guards followed. As the King walked, the crowd bowed in respect. He walked up until he was a few inches away from Isaac.

"Hm." He said in a scruffy voice. "Very interesting.”

As soon as Isaac saw him up close, he recognized him instantly.. “You . . . I’ve met you before.”

“So you remember?” The King grinned.

“Sarca.” Isaac said. “That was you.” Isaac might not recognize his face, but he’d recognize those eyes anywhere. The powerful eyes that made his spine chill back in Sarca.

“You’ve grown stronger.”

“What are you doing here?” Isaac growled. “Are you the King?”

One of the guards held his weapon up to strike Isaac down for being disrespectful, but the King stopped him. Isaac didn’t think the guards saw him as threatening since the King was way taller and bigger than Isaac was.

"Somewhat." The King said.

"Huh," Isaac said. “Haven’t heard of you.”

People around him gasped in disbelief. They were shocked that someone had dared to disrespect their King like that.

To be fair, Isaac hadn’t traveled much and he had never been to this kingdom prior. So they couldn't really blame him for not knowing the King of this city.

The King found this amusing as he smirked. "Maybe you’ve heard of my name." The King introduced himself. "I am Solaris, King of the Sovereign Empire."

Line Break

Isaac blamed the old man for not clarifying further what he meant by 'King'.

He genuinely thought that the man in front of him was the King of this kingdom. Not the King to the whole bloody empire.

So now Isaac found himself outside of the kingdom, face-to-face with the man who ruled the continent along with his army.

"Is this necessary?" Isaac asked. "Did I offend you that much"

“You’re not afraid.” Solaris pointed out.

“Am I supposed to be?”

“No, this is good.” Solaris said. “It’s unlike a King to cower in the face of others.”

Isaac tensed. It seems like he knows that Isaac was the future Pale King. At this point, he wasn’t even surprised. If Fleur managed to find out, then it can’t be that difficult for the Sovereign King to find out.

But that doesn’t mean Isaac was going to just admit the fact so easily.

“Not a King. But it doesn’t take one to know that I’m outmatched. Even if I run, you’ll just chase me down. I’d rather we just talk.”

Solaris chuckled. “Smart.” He said as he got off his horse and stepped closer towards Isaac. “So, you’re Scarlet’s chosen one.”

“No idea what you’re talking about.”

“Hm.” Solaris locked eyes with Isaac. “You have a strong heart. You would make a great King.”

“And I’m here to tell you that I’m not a King.”

“Is that what you’re going to tell yourself the next time you take someone’s life?”

Isaac felt an icy grip around his heart. “What are you talking about?”

“Fleur Ishtar.” Solaris said. “I assume you know her, yes?”

Isaac couldn’t believe he didn’t see it before. He felt like all the pieces fell into place right then and there. This explains how Fleur managed to hire a mercenary of Eiko’s caliber. How she could have so much money to do so and why she did what she did.

“You sent her?” Isaac growled. He felt anger in his chest. “She works for you?”

“I offered her a deal.” Solaris said. “She chose her husband over the White Kingdom.”

“How would you know?” Isaac snarled. “You sent her as a spy and now she’s dead because of you.”

“Your vision is narrow.” Solaris said with a calm tone. “I did not send her.”

“Liar.” Isaac’s hand snaked towards the sword handle strapped around his waist. “You sent a spy to betray Scarlet. And now she’s dead and Iola lost his wife. All because of you.”

“I did not send her. She chose that task willingly.”

“Liar!” Isaac shouted as he lunged towards Solaris. The Sovereign army behind him acted almost instantly and rushed forward, but Solaris stopped them.

Isaac rushed forward, but Solaris showed no concern. When Isaac was within arm’s reach, Solaris exerted his Aura again and Isaac’s knees immediately buckled. He fell to his knees as he felt the air pressed against him.

But it was only for a brief moment before Solaris stopped and Isaac could breathe properly again.

“Control your emotions. I wish not to make an enemy out of you.” Solaris said. “And I’d hate to kill you so easily.”

As Isaac regained his bearings, he shakily stood up. He glared at Solaris. “You’re an enemy to Scarlet. That means you’re my enemy.”

Solaris gave a humorless laugh. “Do you really think she’s your ally?”

“Shut up.” Isaac said. “I don’t want to hear it.”

“How can you trust someone so easily?” Solaris said. “Do you even know Scarlet? More importantly, do you even know the Lunar Empress? Do you know their motives? Their intentions?”

He then stepped closer and leaned towards Isaac. “Or do you just follow their orders just because of their pretty faces?”

“I said shut up!” Isaac shouted.

Isaac didn’t know what happened. It wasn’t intentional, but he felt the air around him shift. His skin tingled with power. After he shouted, the front row of the Sovereign army behind Solaris staggered backwards, as if they were pushed by an invisible force.

Solaris raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Oh? You really are strong.” He turned around and started to walk away, but then stopped. “I’ll give you one advice, one King to another. The same advice I gave to you the first time we met.”

He looked over his shoulder towards Isaac. “There’s more to people than meets the eye.”

After that, he got on his horse and the entire army galloped away, leaving Isaac in the dust.

Line Break

In search of answers, Isaac headed early for Whitewash Peaks. Solaris had given him a lot to think about. Isaac didn’t expect Solaris’ words to get to him, but it did.

Mainly because Isaac felt the conviction from his words. If Solaris was trying to manipulate him, Isaac would’ve known. But he was confident in his message, which causes Isaac to doubt.

Near the top, he stopped for a breather. His mind was still reeling from his conversation with Solaris. The weather wasn't too bad today, so Isaac got lucky.

After a short while, he was ready to continue. It was unfortunate that he didn't have Elisa's spell of making his body lighter. The journey would've been easier. He took one step forward and heard the sound of growling somewhere to his left.

Isaac's head snapped in attention as he grabbed his bow and pulled out an arrow. He couldn't see anything beyond the trees and the snow.

But at the corner of his eye, he saw something shifting. A large, white, sabertooth tiger was slowly moving towards him.

The two glared at each other, both of them were waiting for who would make the first move.

As a sabertooth, the thing Isaac was afraid of was definitely its fangs. They looked like daggers and could rip Isaac from limb to limb if it wanted to.

The tiger growled at Isaac as if daring him to make a move.

"Easy there," Isaac said. He wanted to avoid killing the beast if he could. The tiger was probably just as afraid as Isaac was and it was merely defending itself. Being the naive person he was, Isaac put his bow down. "I'm not going to kill you."

The tiger growled but maintained its distance. Isaac started to think that putting down his bow was a bad idea. It then suddenly started to move slowly towards Isaac.

Isaac wanted to run, but he felt as if he was nailed to the ground. Even if he ran, there was no way he could outrun a tiger, especially with his legs deep in snow.

The sabertooth approached him slowly, the two still locked in a staring contest. Isaac was convinced that if he blinked, the tiger would pounce on him.

But as it got closer and closer, Isaac could see its body relax. It was trying to determine if Isaac was a threat or an ally, and it seems like it was leaning on the latter.

"Calm down," Isaac said. "Easy. I'm not here to hurt you." Isaac held both his hands forward, to show that there were no weapons in his hands and that he meant no harm.

The tiger got close enough to start sniffing Isaac out. Isaac didn't move. After a bunch of sniffing, the tiger bumped its head against Isaac's hand.

Upon closer look, the beast was bigger than Isaac. At least twice as big. If it had come to a fight, Isaac would've been mauled to death.

The tiger's expression softened as it rubbed its body against Isaac's hand for affection. He was surprised. He didn't think the sabertooth would warm up to him that quickly. In fact, he didn't expect the tiger to warm up to him at all.

"It seems that she's taken a liking to you." A voice said out from where the tiger came from. "That's unusual."

Isaac looked up to see a man almost camouflaged and blending in with the snow. A white scarf covered his head, leaving only his gray eyes visible. He had on thick clothes with white fur and white leather pants as well. If he'd been silent, Isaac wouldn't have noticed him being there.

"Who are you?" Isaac asked.

"I'm just a hunter." The man said as the sabertooth tiger returned to his side. It seems like the tiger is his pet.

"A hunter?" Isaac asked. "Out here?"

"You'd be surprised." The hunter shrugged. Isaac didn't notice it before but he had a bow and quiver strapped to his back along with a small hunting knife on his waist. "The wildlife in this area is abundant."

Isaac had never heard about a hunter that makes Whitewash Peaks his hunting ground. Then again, Whitewash Peaks was a large mountain range. It's not impossible.

"What are you doing here?" Isaac asked. "You do know there's a dragon that lives here, right?"

"I could ask you the same thing." The hunter said. "What are you doing here?"

"Passing through. I'm trying to reach the White Kingdom."

"Yeah, I wouldn't recommend that." The hunter said as he looked up to the sky. "A storm's coming."

Isaac looked up and saw that the sky was clear as day. "How can you tell?"

"I just can." The hunter tossed some kind of meat up in the air and his tiger pounced and grabbed it mid-air before happily munching on it. "I won't stop you if you wanna keep going, but you're gonna have a hard time. I have a cabin nearby if you want to stay in for the night."

He was skeptical. The last time he trusted a stranger that invited him to his home, he turned out to be an elite mercenary. But if what the hunter was saying was true, he didn't really have much of a choice. If he tried going back now, he'd be stuck on the mountain at night time which is way more dangerous.

"You won't try to kill me, will you?"

The hunter shrugged. "That depends."

"On what?"

"If you try to kill me first."

Line Break

The hunter led them to a well-hidden log cabin among the trees. It was covered in snow so it was hard to spot.

Inside, was a room that could fit just one person. A fireplace on one wall, a bed next to it, a chest next to the door, and that's pretty much it. It's livable, for sure. It doesn't take much to survive in it.

The hunter brushed the snow off of his clothes before he entered. The tiger did the same as she shook her body and the snow flew off of her fur. So Isaac did the same. Being a guest, he didn't want to make his host's house dirty.

The hunter snapped his fingers and the fireplace lit up by itself, filling the room with warmth and comfort. The sabertooth made herself comfortable and lay down by the fire. Isaac set his stuff down next to the chest and sat next to the fireplace. After being in the cold, the warmth was comforting.

"Thanks," Isaac said.

"Don't mention it." The hunter had taken off his scarf so Isaac finally got a good look at him.

The first thing he saw was his strikingly bright blue eyes. Isaac felt like he was staring at a clear morning sky. He had fair skin and snowy white hair, similar to Scarlet's.

Another thing Isaac noticed was the two pointy ears protruding from both sides of his head.

"You're an elf?" Isaac asked.

"Does it bother you?" The hunter asked.

"Nope. Just wasn't expecting you to be an elf." Isaac said. "I thought you people can't handle the cold."

The hunter shook his head. "We can handle the cold. We just don't like it." He said. "Anyway, what's your name?"

"Isaac." Isaac offered his hand. "You?"

"Merowyn." The hunter shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you," Isaac said. "So tell me, what made you wanna hunt around these parts of the land?" Merowyn raised an eyebrow but Isaac just shrugged. "Just tryna start a conversation. I did tell you my purpose for being up here."

Merowyn sighed. "You could say I'm currently in hiding. Or I'm on the run. Whichever comes first.”

"From?"

"My family in Central Arya," Merowyn said. "Not gonna go into much detail, but simply speaking I was banished."

Isaac whistled. The elves are strict when it comes to familial issues. Wars have been waged just because of it. For Merowyn to have been banished from his family, means he did something really bad.

"If you're not telling, then I'm not prying," Isaac said. "So you live here all the time?"

"Most of the time." Merowyn corrected. "I go down about once a month to pick up supplies from Losteria since Tuplin doesn't have what I need."

"That's a far journey," Isaac said. He should know from experience. "Why not just go to the White Kingdom?"

"I don't deal with kingdoms," Merowyn said.

"Surely it's better than having to go all the way to Losteria and back here," Isaac said. "That's like, what, almost two weeks' worth of journey?"

"Two days," Merowyn said.

"What?"

Merowyn gestured at his pet who was sleeping soundly next to Isaac. "Feryn can take me to Losteria and back in just two days."

"You're kidding." Isaac was in disbelief. "She's that fast?"

"I trained her, of course," Merowyn said. "It's funny though. She usually isn't very kind to strangers. Maybe there's something about you."

"Believe me, I'm just as confused as you are," Isaac said as he looked toward Feryn. Isaac still can't believe it took Merowyn two days which took Isaac over a week to achieve.

Then, thunder boomed outside of the house. The storm was here.

"Told you," Merowyn said.

Line Break

The next day was when Isaac and Merowyn had to part ways.

"Guess I'll see you around," Isaac said as he hefted his bow.

"It's not like I have anywhere else to go," Merowyn said.

"My offer still stands if you wanna stay at the White Kingdom," Isaac said. "They won't hate you if that's what you're worried about."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Merowyn said. "I prefer living out here."

Isaac shrugged. It's not like he could force him to go with him and it's not like Merowyn was having problems. He seems to be doing just fine on his own. If Merowyn didn't want it, then he wasn't going to force the issue.

"Well, let me know if you change your mind," Isaac said.

"Will do." Merowyn offered his hand and Isaac shook it. He petted Feryn one last time before heading off to the top of Whitewash Peaks.

Line Break

The rest of his journey was uneventful. He made it over and to the bottom of the mountain unscathed.

Relatively speaking. He cut himself a little when he tripped on something and smacked his face into a tree.

By the time he was on the White Vessel that was waiting for him at the foot of the mountain, he got to pondering. The three days have been a somewhat relieving experience for him. His mind had somewhat been cleared. He still sometimes thought about the Iola situation, but his heart feels calmer

He knows it was necessary for the White Kingdom. It was necessary so that the kingdom could rise and take on the Sovereign King. Now that Isaac has finally met Solaris face to face, he was determined to prove the Sovereign King wrong.

Although, what he said did bother him.

In a few minutes, he finally arrived at the gates of the White Kingdom, where Elisa was waiting.

"Just in time," Elisa said. "A few more minutes and I would've had to send our whole army to look for you."

"I thought she was kidding about that," Isaac said.

"If you know her, then you know she meant it." Elisa smiled. "She wants to see you."

"Can't I take a break first?" Isaac asked. Elisa shook her head and gestured for him to follow her quickly. Isaac groaned and followed her trail.

Nothing changed much since he was gone. He could still see the Leviathan crew roaming about, doing their own thing. Eiko did say that they were going to be staying for a month.

Elisa led Isaac to the throne room where Scarlet was waiting alone. Her face lit up when she saw him but she tried to suppress it.

"Heya." Isaac simply greeted.

Scarlet sighed. "We're in the throne room. I'm the Queen. Can you not greet me with 'heya'?"

"I'm gonna be the King anyway. Aren't I allowed to do that?" Isaac asked.

"He makes a good point." Elisa mused.

Scarlet sighed but chuckled. "So, how was your brief vacation?"

Isaac wondered if he should tell Scarlet about his encounter with the Sovereign King. But since he hadn’t figured it out for himself yet and Scarlet has already tons of stuff to do, he decided to withhold that information for now.

"Uneventful," Isaac said. "Though I met a hunter near the top of Whitewash Peaks."

Line Break

The month went by surprisingly quickly. The Leviathan crew was packing up along with some of the merchants. Some decided to stay, much to Isaac's surprise.

This also meant he had to say goodbye to some of his friends.

"I will miss you dearly." Polus gave Isaac a big hug. "I will never forget the day you freed me from my shackles."

Isaac couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll miss you too, big guy. I hope we'll meet again someday."

Polus had tears in his eyes. "I will miss you! Let me know if you’re ever in need of a traveling companion or the services of a merchant. I will be there for you.”

“I will keep that in mind, Polus.” Isaac assured him.

The most unexpected person that was leaving was Liliora.

"Are you sure about this?" Isaac asked as her most loyal customers were celebrating in the tavern for her farewell party.

"I'm just trying out something new," Liliora said. "Polus said he'd take me under his wing until I can walk on my own as a merchant."

"You do have the talent for it." Isaac smiled.

"Yeah. I'm gonna miss you though." Liliora said. "If it all fails I can just come back here."

"And we'll be waiting." Isaac grinned.

"My only regret is that we didn’t get the chance to have fun in bed together." Liliora pouted.

And with that, Isaac finished the conversation.

The hardest person to say goodbye to was probably Eiko, for some reason. They bonded over the month and got to know each other really well.

"I'm gonna miss you," Eiko said. "We'll never know when we'll get a chance to meet like this again."

"I'm always around," Isaac said as the two took one last tour around the city for Eiko. "You can just visit me whenever you want."

"Scarlet made me promise not to use the ocean route so often to get here." Eiko chuckled. "Since I'm one of the only people outside of the White Kingdom who actually knows how to get through. It’s not like I intend on using it all the time. Once is more than enough."

"So you're gonna go the same way back home?" Isaac asked. "You sure you're gonna be okay?"

"Relax," Eiko said. "There's another passage that we can take that's much safer. It’s a one way route to exit the White Kingdom. Although it would take much longer."

Isaac was somehow relieved. If they had to take the same route they took getting here to go back home, Eiko's going to have a horrible time.

"At least you won't have me to annoy you," Isaac said.

"That's a plus." Eiko laughed. "Oh, before I forget. I want to give you this." Eiko handed him a blue sphere. It looked like a pearl, only much bigger.

"Thanks," Isaac said. "What's it for?"

"Something to remember me by." Eiko smiled. "And also a one-time thing. If you ever need my help, just crush the pearl."

"Thanks," Isaac said again. 

“And if you were wondering,” Eiko stepped in front of him. “I enjoyed our first date that night. You’re a really good dancer.”

“I wasn’t wondering, but thank you.” Isaac smiled. Eiko pulled him into an embrace, to which Isaac returned. As he pulled away, Eiko managed to get a quick peck on his cheek.

Isaac was surprised and caught off guard. "Uh . . ." That was all Isaac could say as Eiko winked and jogged away.

After they'd said their goodbyes, Isaac, Meng, and the other citizens waved at them by the harbor.

"I'm gonna miss that little devil," Meng said, talking about Liliora.

"Same," Isaac said but Meng wasn't sure if they were talking about the same person.

"You're talking about Eiko, aren't you?"

"Yes. No. What?"

"You like her don't you?" Meng asked.

"What are you talking about?" Isaac tried denying it but his face was flushed with red. Maybe he had slight feelings for Eiko, but it's currently not that important. They had other things to worry about.

"Out of all the people, you had to go for one of the Three Coins." Meng teased him.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Isaac said as he left the harbor.

Line Break

"What now?" Isaac asked as the two stood alone on the balcony of the throne room, overlooking the city. After all, that's happened, Isaac was just now waiting for what Scarlet is about to do next.

"We still need time," Scarlet said. "The White Kingdom is now stable but we need to grow even stronger."

Isaac nodded. "In the meantime, we're gonna have to talk about how you're going to move forward if you're going to take on the Sovereign King."

"The first step is already in motion. If Eiko could do it, it'll be a huge win for us." Scarlet said. Apparently, Scarlet had entrusted Eiko with a task of some sort. "While we wait for that, I plan on talking with some of the kingdoms near Whitewash Peaks to get them to join our cause."

That would be a good start if they could get the neighboring cities to form an alliance. That way, Scarlet would have more freedom to work.

"It'll be a rough couple of months for us," Isaac said.

"Months? I was thinking for years." Scarlet said.

Isaac chuckled. They had a brief moment of silence before Isaac decided to speak. “Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Do you . . .” Isaac caught himself. He wanted to ask if Scarlet had any motive in going against the Sovereign Empire. But Isaac was afraid that his loyalty would be questioned and Isaac would be banished from the kingdom.

That probably wouldn’t happen, but there are still risks to it. So Isaac decided to change his mind.

“Do you think that I can get my own personal maid like you?” Isaac asked.

Scarlet snorted. “You’d wish.”

“Oh come on. You have Elisa. Why can’t I have my own Elisa?”

“Don’t push it.” Scarlet said with a small smile on her face. “You’re not King yet.”

“But I will be someday.”

“And you’ll get your personal helper when that day comes.”

Isaac sighed while Scarlet laughed. If he was going to find out what their intentions truly are, then he’s gonna have to blend in for a while. He’s going to have to decide who’s in the right here.

Who are the good guys? That’s the question he needs to answer for himself. Because he’s not willing to go to war just because he was named King. He needs a reason. A purpose.

And if that purpose doesn’t sit well with him, then he might have to stop this war.