King Vasso sat on the edge of his massive bed thinking about the meeting with the princess of the Ziviel Kingdom.
[Who would have thought? So she was still alive?]
"The cockroach. How could she have survived that invasion?"
"Someone must have helped her get away. I warned that man to keep a tight leash on things... but no! So self-absorbed", he said pacing from one wall to the other in his room.
King Vasso was so irritated at the usurper.
When the man had come to him and laid out his plans and request, King Vasso had agreed under two conditions. One, that his kingdom would be Ziviel's sole provider of crude oil, and secondly, Vasso would receive remittance of a particular amount at the end of each year for the next 10 years.
The usurper had agreed quickly, so desperate to get soldiers from the Taterra Kingdom to invade Ziviel.
When reports got to Vasso that the deed had been done, he had asked for the king and the queen, "They are dead, buried like common people", was the response written in the letter the usurper had sent to him.
"What about their heir? The princess?"
He had replied, "Missing. I do not think she would survive this. Do not worry about her". When Vasso read that, he laughed, "I am not the one that should be worried", he said to himself.
Now, the princess had come to his kingdom looking confident and collected. He knew that as she had come to him for troops, then she had gone to other kingdoms for help as well.
Something needed to be done.
Vasso picked up his quill, dipped it in the ink well, and began to write a letter to the usurper.
* * *
"NO!!!!"... he punched the person that delivered the letter.
The messenger cradled his face wondering what concerned him in the matter.
"Call General Gilpin, NOW!". The usurper was fuming and everyone around took several steps back knowing how rash and unstable he could be.
He began to talk to himself to the hearing of the people present at court, "I told them. I told them to search everywhere for that girl! No one will take this throne from me. I have waited so long for this... my inheritance. I will not allow it. I WILL NOT!"
"Calm down, sire", his personal servant had said, being the only one with nerve enough to come near the ranting man.
"I am calm. Do not tell me to calm down"
[What?], the servant thought, surprised at what he had just heard.
General Gilpin walked in.
He hadn't even reached where the usurper stood when the man rushed to him and grabbed the front of his clothes, "I told you to search for that red-haired brat. Do you know what is happening now?"
The general didn't respond to him... Gilpin was waiting for him to finish his statement thinking it was a rhetorical question.
Silence filled the hall...
"ANSWER ME!"
"No, Your Majesty, I do not know what is happening", he said surprised at the way the man was acting.
"Good. You can not know. With your head buried in the sand like an ostrich, how would you know?"
General Gilpin looked around the room without moving his head not appreciating how he was being spoken to in the presence of people. But, he kept his back straight, his head high, and his gaze fixed on the usurper.
"The daughter of the former king is still alive and going round searching for supporters to attack us"
[It is high time], Gilpin thought then said; "That is not good news, Your Majesty. What would you have me do?"
"She is under the protection of the Red Kingdom and I do not want to start a war with those people after I have just recovered from one. Come to my chambers tomorrow morning and I will tell you what I will decide. I do not want to leave this to you anymore since I am the only one that can get things done around here"
The general resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He saluted, turned on his heel, and left the throne room.
The usurper looked at Gilpin as he walked away with so much disgust.
[If I didn't need him, I would have killed him. His negligence irks me]
Little things irked him. It wasn't that General Gilpin was negligent; hell! he had won the war for the usurper. All the troops were under his command but the Red Kingdom was a no-go area.
Gilpin had suspected that the princess took refuge there and had sent spies who didn't return. That was when he knew to back off, and he hadn't seen her returning to Ziviel.
* * *
The usurper had written another letter to the king of the Taterra Kingdom seeking advice.
"What made me think that this man could rule?", King Vasso said.
But Vasso knew he had lots to gain from that man being on the Ziviel throne, so he replied with a plan that would solve their problems.