meant that when he died, what light that had been inside him was quickly consumed by bitterness and hatred.” I shook my head a little as I tried to follow all this, which is why I said,
“So, he doesn't know that it was his uncle who killed him!?”
“No, for if he did, then he would surely direct his armies towards another enemy, for he would kill our Uncle without hesitation.” I let out a heavy breath before saying,
“I know this may sound like a really blindingly obvious question here, but why haven't you told him?”
“As endearing as that question is, you do not know about our family enough to comprehend the complication surrounding our relationships. Not between our kingdoms or each other for we were never close as brother’s, and Callon was the only glue we had to hold an already fragile pane of glass together.”
“But you were all to be Kings, surely you had that in common?” I questioned.
“Despite our lands once being united under my father’s rule, that union has long since been fractured to the point where we might as well be islands drifting off into a traitorous sea apart from each other. For my brother’s blind hatred and cold heart sees nothing but what happened that day as being the fault of Carn’reau, and our uncle has manipulated that fact from the very beginning with his eyes set firmly on the throne to rule them all. My brother is but a pawn in his game of power,” he told me, making me officially hate this uncle of his… oh, and want to slap some sense into this brother of sin!
“So that's it, your uncle was jealous of his own brother’s rule and wanted what he had?”
“It is indeed, for the same Oracle that told my father of his future to marry his four wives and bear four sons to rule separate kingdoms, was one who did not live long after that, for a mysterious death befell her, which is one that is no longer so mysterious at all.”
“Gods, but your uncle has been planning this all this time,” I surmised.
“He believed that my father would appoint him as the next ruler, but I think now that he knew something about his brother, for his heart was too full of dark desire. Haleth was never about the people but only about greed and his own selfish desire to gain more power. It was a sickness, a hunger that has grown to the point that he cares little for who or what he destroys in his ambition for power. He must be stopped at all costs, for this is my last chance to save the people of my world.” As soon as the King had finished, I couldn't help but place a hand over his own just like I had done not long ago. Just like I had done with his naive sister, who no doubt had no idea that any of this was going on. Because he no doubt wanted to protect her from the dire future of his people should he not succeed in defeating his uncle.
The King looked down at my hand before looking down at me, as even sat down, the height difference between us was almost comical. But still I felt compelled to say what I did next, just like I had done to Vern.
So, I made him this vow,
“I promise you, Auberon, I promise you that I will do everything in my power to help you, and I am sure… no, I'm certain that your brother will return. Trust me, Lucius will stop at nothing to get me back and from what I have seen of your brother’s loyalty, then he will do this for him, he will return for his King.”
“I hope you are right, little Princess, and all I can hope for is that when my brother returns, he does not hold that same dark twisted bitter hatred for a world he once loved… for a world that banished him… I hope he can forgive me.”
The moment he said this, I couldn't help but think of Lucius and his own brother and in that moment I started to pray like never before! I prayed to every God that would listen, to the very Fates themselves that the McBain brothers get there in time. Because I knew that Lucius would never forgive himself if he executed his brother. He would never forgive himself if by his hand he gave him an