Alfred arrived at the camp, receiving a hero's welcome as the soldiers cheered.
"Long Live the King"
"Long live the King."
The amount of worship from the ordinary soldiers filled the air as they looked at the child King who waved towards them, telling those who knelt to rise. Everyone present knew that Alfred leaving the camp had ended the war, and avoiding a full-pitch battle had allowed all the men present to live another day. He slowly made his way through before arriving at his tent. Once inside, his facade dropped, and he collapsed in his chair.
"Your Highness, it's me. I bring Duke William of Flanders and Marquies Raven." Charles's voice broke into the tent. He quickly sat himself up straight and took a couple of breaths.
"Enter." The three men walked in, faces full of happiness and pride. "Please sit." He stopped the three from bowing, pointing towards the chairs littered around the large tent.
"My brother updated us on the battle fought in the forest, and I must say you have my utmost respect." Raven's voice spoke full of worship towards Alfred, getting a silent nod in agreement from William.
Alfred raised his hand to stop him from continuing as he slumped his head into his hand, eyes breaking through the cracks in his fingers. "We may have won today, but I will tell you three now. The Kingdom is too weak. My plans, ambitions and future can not work with weakness. This war shouldn't have begun, for we should have the strength in hand never to make it a reality for someone to wish to fight us." Alfred stood up, climbing the table and elevating himself above the men. The three looked at him in confusion, not understanding why he was like this despite winning.
"We are not weak, your highness. We had bad circumstances that made a pest think it could challenge us." William's defence caused Alfred to shoot him a glare. His back went stiff as the child's eyes seemed filled with insanity and ambition.
"Bad circumstance. Poor timing. These are all excuses, Duke. My father's death means that my Kingdom has to turn into a cancer that scrambles for power. MY PROMISES CAN NOT BE ACHIEVED WITH THIS LEVEL OF INCOMPATANCE!" His last words sounded like a banshee scream, stunning all the men around. They stared at the panting Alfred, who stared back, his eyes radiating ambition that clouded anyone they had ever seen. "I will build an empire that has the world under my feet. And if I have to burn the current Kingdom to rubble to achieve it, then so be it. But you three. You are different to the cancer which fills my home. So I ask you, do you wish to be stagnant, not understanding the true extent of my vision? Because if that is the case, slay me right now."
Alfred looked at the three and spread his arms wide, taunting them. Charles and William looked at one another, but Raven acted quickly, falling to his knee. "You, who God chooses, have every right to desire the world, putting it underneath his holy light. And for that, My King, I will be your sword. Use me to create your ambition, for you can only dare speak such words." Raven spoke full of worship, similar to when he first met Alfred. He stood and walked behind Alfred, looking at his brother and William.
Charles was the next to walk behind Alfred. "If my brother wishes to join you on this journey, I will follow him." The three looked at William, who had squinted eyes looking at Alfred. Hundreds of thoughts ran through his mind about what had happened to the young boy and caused this change in him. It was an ambition that he previously lacked.
"Who did you promise?" He questioned the young boy, getting a smirk from him. Walking across the table, he arrived directly in front of William and crouched to his eye level.
"I promised the one person in the world to whom I owe this life more than anyone." He pointed his finger up towards the sky, indicating Sol, only himself knowing the truth about what he pointed at. William smirked, falling to his knee.
"If you wish to build an empire the world has never seen before, then I would be honoured to be the shield that defends it. The House of Flanders will forever be loyal to the Royal family as long as it remains loyal, for this is our ancestors' promise."
"Rise, Duke." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. 'It's the first step, Alfred, but I will create it,' he silently said, opening his eyes again. "Gentlemen, the current Kingdom needs to be changed. Bloodline overrides competence. Our military is unorganised and scattered into too many hands. We must change the very framework of our home before we even begin to think about conquering those around us. When we return, silently prepare your forces. Gather those who will help in our new era and list those who won't. It will be a long process taking many years, but we three will pave the way."
The men nodded, imagining the future. They understood what Alfred had in store for those he deemed to be a cancer, but they were all nobles who ruled for numerous years and had all seen their fair share of purges. The four smiled understanding as Alfred jumped off the table and poured four glasses. "With these drinks, the four of us will bind our fates with one another." Alfred downed his glass quickly, followed by Raven and Charles. William took one look at the glass before quickly following along.