nothing of me,” the king scoffed. “I am not the villain your friends have cut me to be. I follow the tenets of the Word. It is for that reason I came to Annwn all those years past. My father had a vision of sweeping the infidels from the world, cleansing it as Saint Peter decreed. The fey are an unholy evil. Soon they and the evil that fills the world of my birth will be undone—at my hands. I wish you to embrace that calling and be an ambassador of sorts.”
“But you said you couldn’t trust me…”
“I see strength of character in you,” Philip admitted. “You would not possess Arondight if you were not an honorable man, fighting evil. I want you to lead my armies, be my general, protect the innocent from the dastardly.”
Bran did not know what to say. Based on what he had already seen of the king’s rule in Annwn, he could no more trust Philip than he trusted a bully. Bran might not be able to fully believe or explain the intentions of Richard or Merle, but he knew he definitely could not take Philip at his word.
He would have to be as wily to be released.
“What would this entail then?” Bran asked carefully.
“When the sins of existence begin to outweigh the virtue of the Word, the Lord calls on those with extraordinary gifts to set His work aright. Saint Peter died to ensure his Lord’s faith took root within a pagan Rome. A sacrifice. In the fourth century, Christianity overcame those repressive pagan ways by the strength of a visionary emperor, Constantine the Great, who took the first difficult steps to allow Christian worship a safe place. Once again, sacrifice. King Edward the Martyr died to keep the Benedictine monasteries safe from the greedy nobles of England. Another sacrifice. Even my father fought against the eastern infidels, losing much of his power and wealth to maintain the integrity of the Holy Land. I carry on that tradition. And as the world spirals all too eagerly into its own excesses, I will bring the light once more and push the darkness back.
“I have ever been a student of history. I know I need strong people of faith and strong character, men who are willing to sacrifice their lives for the greater good as so many have done before. I wish you to be a sort of ambassador, between Annwn and our world, to use your power to smooth the transition. I cannot do this alone, young Ardall.”
“I don’t think the army outside of your walls makes you alone,” Bran remarked.
“That may be true, but virtue is not always won with arms.”
“What do you really want?” Bran asked.
“I invite you, as a new knight, to use your power to help with that edict,” Philip offered. “Think about it, Ardall. You will have everything that you have ever desired. Food. Drink. Wealth. Land. A beautiful woman. All the pleasures that a life in my service would guarantee. It can be your own, if you but join me.”
Bran drew in a deep breath. What Richard had thought was true. Philip intended to attack the world, to return home with an army, to force people to embrace his rule.
The king also offered Bran all he had ever wanted and more.
It didn’t take long for Bran to come to a choice. Those material things would not matter. Because the war that Philip planned to unleash would destroy everything.
“If you attack the world we come from, Philip, and that world finds out about this one, which it surely will, Annwn ceases to be,” Bran said. “The power wielded by the governments will crush whatever you are planning. They outmatch anything you possess.”
Philip barked a mean laugh. “You think I care about Annwn.”
“I would think you care about your life.”
“You are a coward, if you are not willing to die for grace,” Philip said, frowning darkly.
“You don’t comprehend. Listen to me—”
“No! You listen to me!” Philip roared, standing, redness rising in his cheeks. “The world of our birth has become corrupt. It takes strong men, men who are willing to do what is right before what is popular to save the souls of those who are truly worthy.”
“Killing is not the answer!” Bran reiterated.
“Do not presume to know me, nor what I do,” Philip sneered. “People will die, of that I have no doubt. Those who live will come to know the Word through proof of His existence.”