Alfred sat on the throne with Chris and Raven flanking him. Their faces were grim as the Commonwealth envoy knelt before them, holding a scroll, his smug face, staring at the three. "On behalf of King Snowid and The Commonwealth, I bring an official declaration of war to push Prince Micheals's legitimate claims to the Ammary Throne."
"Thank you for your time. We will prepare a room for you if you wish to stay for a night." Alfred gave a polite smile as he looked down at the envoy.
"There is no need, Your Majesty; I must return home immediately." The envoy gave a polite bow before being escorted out of the throne room by a guard. The faces of the three changed from polite smiles to serious faces as they walked into the side room.
"Chris, gather the men and have them begin marching. Raven, I need you to help and send out calls of arms. The Duke should still be in the city; I will see him." The two gave a quick bow before quickly leaving. Alfred almost ran down the palace halls as he headed to the Duke's residence.
Alfred got into the carriage as he fixed his appearance. He felt nervous, but deep inside was excitement. He didn't know where it came from, but the idea of this war thrilled him. He didn't understand where it had come from. He never liked war in his past life and didn't see why it was different now. Still, Alfred was thankful for this feeling. He knew without it, the nerves would eventually consume him, causing him to be unable to lead when it was most important.
The carriage ride was quick but gave Alfred enough time to collect himself. The guards of the Duke's manor opened the gates, seeing Alfred's carriage.
"Father. Will you really go to war again?" William didn't know how often he had heard this question from his young daughter. He could only sigh as he continued to eat his meal.
"Your father has told you many times now, dear, it's his role as Duke." Answering for him, his wife cut in, easing her daughter's worries. The small girl weakly nodded as she continued to eat slowly.
"But my son, you must join me on this campaign. You know this, right?" The Duke gave a stern look at his son. He was a muscular man in his early twenties. Issac smirked as he put his cutlery down.
"Of cou-" The door opened before he could finish his sentence. An old bulter walked in.
"Forgive me for the intrusion, sir, but His Highness, King Alfred is here." The anger quickly vanished from WIlliam's and his son's eyes as they instantly knew what had happened.
"Issac, come. You shall meet with him as well." The two got up, following the butler. His daughter tried to follow after quickly being stopped.
"Greetings, Your Highness." The two gave a quick bow to Alfred, who stood by the window. He waved for them to stop, pointing for them to sit. Issac eyed up Alfred, analysing him. It was the first time he got to see him. He had been busy with work during his coronation and Open Hall incident. 'Weird.' It was the first thought after looking at Alfred. The whole atmosphere around him was different from other children his age. It was more mature and confident.
"War has been officially declared," Alfred spoke calmly. "I have a plan that I need to go over with you." Alfred sat, drinking some of the tea the butler left for him. "As you know, the support for marriage with Isra is mixed. I wish to bring her to the front with us to show she is willing to stand with us."
William saw the seriousness in Alfred's eyes and couldn't help but click his tongue at the suggestion. "If you were married, I wouldn't have a problem, Your Highness, but it is still only a betrothal; her life still ultimately belongs to the Sultans, not you."
"She wishes for it herself. Besides, I have a plan to ensure she remains unharmed." William raised his eyebrow in suspicion whilst ushering Alfred to continue. "She will wear my armour."
'Slam.' William's hand struck the table as he looked at Alfred like he was an idiot. "I can not allow that. If you were to die th-"
Alfred's hand rose, indicating for the Duke to stop talking. His eyes turned empty as he stared deep into the Duke's eyes. "You forget. I have already died once, William. What makes you think I fear dying again?" Issac and William tried to find a trace of fear in him after saying that but couldn't. No lie could be found in Alfred's body language. "There is another reason. You know my support from some of the nobles comes from religious fervour. I need to keep this. I need to show a lack of fear in the face of death. I have to prove to them that I am truly blessed."
The two looked at the small king and saw he was adamant about not wearing armour into battle. "Haaaa. Ok. I won't press this, your Highness; however, always be beside your bodyguard's side. Despite his origins, he does possess some skill." Alfred gave a small smile to this, getting up.
"I will see you at the front, Duke." Alfred walked past the two, leaving the room silent.
Issac took a seat opposite his father, letting out a deep sigh. "You can't be serious, father. To allow him to go into battle without armour. It's...it's. Its suicide. You can change his mind; why didn't you?" Issac looked at his father with annoyance. He wanted to hit him for his decision.
"Issac." The voice was deep and held a weight behind it, causing Issac to flinch. "His rule isn't as tight as it should be. He knows this. Right now, he is grasping at every opportunity he can. I would force him into the armour if it were based on arrogance or a child's whim, but right now. It's simply politics." William leaned back on his chair, finishing his piece.
Issac opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, trying to speak but couldn't get his thoughts into words. William could understand what he wanted to say and cut in. "We must keep him on the throne for the Kingdom's survival. If Micheal takes the throne, we will become a puppet to his 'benefactor', and if a revolution occurs, we will be weakened to the point of allowing foreign invasion. This is the best option, even if he's a broken child." His final words had a sad tone in them. A nostalgic glint flashed through his eyes, quickly replaced by sadness, thinking about the past king, his friend. He didn't tell the whole truth to Issac but knew it wasn't necessary.
"I hope you are right, father." Issac walked past his father, leaving to get ready. He took one final look at his father's back. The once powerful back looked old to him at that moment.