"And… there." I said after making sure Räne was neatly dressed.
She wasn't going anywhere, but I wanted to make sure she looked perfect.
I turned around to find Chali, who was dressed in clothes that looked stiffer than usual.
Unfortunately, so was I.
I looked down and adjusted my dark tunic before following Chali out.
He led me down several halls and we eventually arrived at a certain door.
Standing by it were to heavily armoured guards.
"Behave." Chali said with cold, sharp eyes.
I clicked my tongue before entering what was the throne room.
It was filled with people who all sat on benches that were about ten meters away from the thrones themselves.
Allowing the morning sun's light into the space was a series of tall and wide windows and beneath those were murals depicting many things that I didn't care about.
Standing at various points of the room were the palace guards in all their stiffness.
I then looked to my right and saw my mother and… my father sitting side by side.
Most Nemen are really tall, but my father, Rahad, the King of the Rendaro was five or so heads taller than most Nemen.
His features were strong and jagged. From his jaw, his heavy brown, his high cheeks. It was all so… ugly. The only thing that redeemed his head was his glorious beard which reached his chest. It was neatly groomed and had a sheen to it that was pleasant to look at.
He wore a dark tunic similar to mind and had a dark crown on his head.
Mother, on the other hand, wore pale grey clothing.
I sat next to father and at no point did he bother looking at me.
Everyone in the grand chamber sat quietly.
"It is with a heavy heart that I announce that a Great War has begun." Father said. His voice like thunder.
I ignored the rest of what he said before spotting Laïnne who sat next to her old man.
Ehh… I had grown rather tired of her.
Was she adorable and did she deserve a session of pampering by my hand? Yes, but with each passing day, I grew more and more uninterested in her.
Especially now that I had Räne by my side.
Some time passed as my father endlessly droned about doom and gloom.
I quickly grew bored and impatient, but I needed to reign myself in. Or else.
"Prince Kenos will then take my place as King."
"Heh?" I asked and it seems like everyone else in the room was equally shocked because they all audibly gasped.
My father raised his hand, silencing the room.
"It is my belief that a Numen should be the one to lead the Rendaro. He may not be ready now, but in time, he will become a capable man." He said.
"That being said, I was only speaking about the worst case scenario. I will lead the Rendaro through this war, but I am sure you all know that I could very well die the next time I leave our borders." Father said.
He then went on to talk about various logistics things, but all I could think of was the fact that I would one day become king.
No.
I couldn't.
I was… unworthy.
Some time passed and everyone but key Rendaro leaders left the room.
They all stood beneath my father's throne with looks that varied from genuine curiosity, suppressed rage and fear?
Erevu walked up before deeply bowing.
"Your Highness. Could you elaborate your statement on the next ruler of the Rendaro? My aging mind is struggling to understand your decision ad wise as it probably is."
Tsk.
Does he think father can't see through his little act?
Or does he not care?
"The crown will only ever sit on the head of a Nemen. Do you want me to explain why, Elder Erevu?" Father asked while looking down at the old man with unfeeling eyes.
Detestable.
"Y-yes." Erevu said weakly.
"If the crown were to be given to a Foph warrior, infighting and chaos would engulf our nation while the humans draw ever closer. If an Ia were to take the crown, the same would happen, only the Ia would probably flee further south while Rendaya burns. Years have passed and your tribes are still as barbaric and cowardly as ever. That is why you all live here, right? To enjoy the pleasures that come with peace?" Father asked.
Erevu and the others lowered their heads.
"It really is unfortunate that your people killed of so many of mine in the distant past. This line of thinking is naïve, but if there were more Nemen, we wouldn't have to solely place our faith in Kenos."
Silence befell the room.
I tried standing to leave, but-
"Sit down. The time has come for you to fulfil your role as my heir. Well… you could a have a child, but it'd still take some time before that child could lead." Father said as I sat down with gnashed teeth.
"Oh my, how we've digressed. The main issue is the Moon King's army. Forging an alliance with the dragons is unfortunately no longer possible. Their numbers are now far too few, but their aggression in the north most likely drained the Moon King's armies of a lot of their potential. I estimate that two thirds of his forces will be concentrated to the north. The rest will come down here. What are your thoughts?" Father asked.
"Mmm… the Foph are ready for whatever they bring, your Highness."
"I agree. If it is as you say, we could set up out defences while setting up various retaliation methods."
"Yes. Pardon me for assuming, but you do not want to conquer the north outright, yes?" One of the Ia Elders asked.
"No. I simply want to defend what is ours."
"What will we do to human deserters and captors?" A Foph leader asked.
"Put them to work." Father simply said.
"What if they are a knight?"
"Ha!" Father laughed before waving his right hand.
"Apologies. I did not realize you were one of the newer Arcus's. The truth is that capturing a knight is impossible. Killing them as fast as possible should always be the priority."
This back and forth continued for quite some time until Father finally turned to face me.
I lowered my head to avoid his gaze.
"Raise you head and tell me your thoughts, Kenos."
"I… uh… I don't know." I stuttered.
"I see. Well, be sure to digest everything you heard today. Although we, the leaders of Rendaya, do not always agree with each other, much wisdom can be found in our interactions. I already know you have ties with the Ia, but I suggest you speak with Ulta and his Arcus's."
I nodded my head pitifully.
"Good. You may all leave."
The Rendaro leaders left the room.
I stood up to leave, but I froze as an overwhelming sense of uneasiness crept over me.
I looked to find that Father was staring at me.
"I believe it is time for lunch. Why not join your mother and I?"
"O-of course."
The help led us into the smaller dining room where we were served food that I didn't care about.
I watched as father greedily ate his cuts of meat.
Large pieces of goat that were lightly seared and doused in a rich gravy.
He loudly chewed every bite he took.
I could tell he was loudly smacking his tongue just to piss me off, but I didn't react.
Mother simply sat next to him while slowly drinking a glass of water.
"Death… death is like a thief. He stalks the world and snatches up the lives of those he happens by." Father said before grabbing the large jar of water.
He downed the thing in an instant before slamming it on the desk and for the first time in a long time, he smiled.
My heart fell and I felt my knees weakened.
My father had smiled.
When was the last time?
"I say thief because I disagree with the idea that death is this dark unfeeling god who harvests the lives of those due. No. Death is cruel." Father said as a frown replaced his smile.
He then offered me his large hand.
I accepted it only for my father to squeezed it.
"I tell you this, my son, because death will soon take me and although I may not be a prophet, I know that shortly after my death, you will arrive at a crossroads of sorts. A point where you will be asked to either shed this… hideous version of yourself and do what is required of you, what is right or… you could stay in that dark inner realm of yours and fester while everything around you dies." Father said before letting me go.
"Now, you may ask why I am not doing anything to avoid my death. The answer is simple. I am the King of the Rendaro and I will do everything I can to protect them. You are the Prince. What will you do at that crossroads?"
I didn't know what in the world he was talking about.
His death… a crossroads… he was always like this. Acting as though he was more intelligent than everyone in the room.
"You do not have to answer that question right now. Oh and you can rest assured that your mother will be by your side, so do not hesitate in seeking solace in her."
I remained silent.
Father ensured his appearance was proper before leaving the room.
My eyes finally lowered and I tried thinking about what he said, but none of it made sense.
If he suspected or outright knew that he was going to die, why wasn't he trying his best to avoid said death. Even with all that bullshit about being king. By staying here and leading from the palace, he could avoid or perhaps delay his death.
And what was all that about a crossroads?
My eyes drifted to my mother who looked at me with half closed eyes.
"W- what did he mean?"
Mother took a sip of water and said nothing.
"We'll?" I asked, but she didn't respond.
"Ugh!" I stood up, stormed out of the door and returned to my room where Räne stood idly next to my bed.
I stared at her for a moment as my thoughts muddled.
I hurriedly ran to her side before grabbing her and threw her on the bed before ripping open her new dress.
I stared at her beautiful breasts while trying my best not to look into her eyes, but my efforts were futile.
I looked into Räne's eyes and was immediately over come with rage, but I didn't want to run from it anymore.
This feeling.
A deep excruciating pain.
I wanted to know more about it and so I lowered my head and pressed it onto Räne's chest.
I closed my eyes and what I anticipated came to pass.
Räne wrapped her arms around my head and I could feel her small heart beating away.
It's rhythm numbed some of my thoughts while amplifying others.
But why?
What drove me to this?
Why was I so upset?
I wrapped my arms around Räne's small body and she tightened her hold on me making me feel even worse.
Part of me wanted to flay her arms and feed them to her while another part ran away and hide.