Chapter 103: Reignite the Spark

Alfred had ridden for two weeks by the time he arrived at William’s location. The old general walked over with a pained expression clutching his chest. Whilst he had passed the worst of it, his wounds still gave him pain.

"Your Highness." William gave a polite bow. He lifted his head up and looked at Alfred’s expression. A bitter smile formed but he didn’t say anything.

"You look awful William." Alfred joked, but his voice was so flat that it was hard to tell. William’s smile widened hearing this, however.

"A minor injury. Well worth the price for killing Nasr." Those around nodded in agreement. He saw the young King’s lips rise ever so slightly from that.

"Rest up then. We ride for the Safrid capital tomorrow. It should only take us a week." Alfred gave the order and rode past, heading deeper into the camp, wishing to rest. William bowed and gave the order for his men to rest.

Within the capital, Adrian looked at the letter in his hand. He had been unsure if he wished to open it yet but finally steeled himself. Opening it slowly his heart raced. It had come from the man assigned to Nasr. He would never be nervous opening his letters but he knew that the battle would likely be the last. Whoever won would win the war.

’The Sultan Fell. The Kingdom is victories."A smile spread wide across his face before a booming laughter echoed throughout his room. It was a wave of unexplainable joy. Never had he experienced it before that he wished to jump up on his desk and dance. All the years of planning, killing and manoeuvring had led to this moment. Finally, he could open the gates and let in the invading army, to truly end the rule of the Safrid dynasty.

He wanted to cry and laugh. It was something that he could not explain. He had outlived every council member and the Sultans. He felt unstoppable. Throwing himself back into his chair, his mind went to the past.

He didn’t even know how the Sultan died. Maybe it was natural, but he doubted it. Whoever it was had helped him greatly and it wasn’t an opportunity he was going to miss. He had quickly invited Nasr to court to take over for the ill Sultan and whispered into his ear all the benefits of choosing Nasr over Harun as his heir. He gave empty promises to ensure it smooth transition and continued to play on his personal distrust of Harun as a ruler and Nasr as a perfect alternative.

It worked better than he expected. He didn’t know that Harun would attempt to take back the throne so quickly. He had plunged the nation into war weakening it. But more importantly, allowed him to seize all the power within the council.

Adrian had the urge to jump up and dance once more. Everything had gone so perfect he couldn’t believe it. His laugh carried through the palace walls for everyone to hear. They didn’t ask or check. Those who were his underlings and knew the only thing that could get such a great laugh out of him. It lasted a while but he knew that he had work to do. Calling for all his people, he took a look at the city below. It looked so peaceful from afar but he knew better.

"We have received word, Your Highness." Harun sat in at the head of the hall. All his lords were waiting for this report. "General Mansa has fallen in the battle along with his force. The Grand Prince’s casualties are unknown but he is a day march out from us." The man gave a deep bow and backed off.

Harun didn’t overly react. At this moment, he knew it was best to keep a clear head. It was the final battle. If he won then the North was safe. If he lost then everything was over. Harun took a deep breath. He had to remotivate his men or he would never win. "Everyone. This is no longer a battle for my claim to the throne. This is now a battle to secure our very home. My Grandfather was a hero of this nation. He defended this border for decades. Many of you knew him, grew up hearing tales of him respected him."

Harun paused and looked at all of them nodding with somber faces. "That’s why if he was here now he would look at all of us and say we are pathetic. Say we are a disgrace." His words carried a tone of disgust. It caused an uproar among the people who became angry but Harun didn’t stop. "SILENCE!" His voice boomed shutting everyone up, "Look at all of you. Our home is under siege and you are still stuck in that battle. We must acknowledge this. Ali is dead. He lived like he was unkillable but he’s dead."

"But just because he is dead, does not mean all of you must follow in pity. You all lost the spark inside of you. You don’t even seem to care that our home is under attack. I may as well open the gate for them myself. After all, it doesn’t seem like any of you wish to fight."

He wished to continue but someone spoke. "Shut it, boy." An old voice from the back called out. Harun’s eyes squinted as he scanned the back line.

"Come up and say it again." Harun saw the man. The old man didn’t hesitate, pushing past his fellow lords.

"You and your stupid war caused all this. You marched us south. You weakened the nation and you got Ali killed. If you had never tried to take the throne after your father already named an heir this would have never happened." The old man spoke with fury as if he was releasing all his pent-up anger about the entire situation.

Harun didn’t get angry but laughed at his words. "And who was the greatest supporter of my claim? Who was the one who rallied all of you to my side? Don’t put my grandfather’s death onto me. He was a man fully capable of making his own choices. He wanted to see me on the throne. He died so I could sit on the throne. You all believed in it at one point that’s why you marched. I didn’t force any of you."

"And I regret it every day." The old man cut in. He spat on the floor after finishing his words. "Why would I ever want to see a Kinsalying sister-fucker on the throne?" Harun face went cold hearing those words.

He got up from his chair and walked down the steps. Standing in front of the old man he looked down on him. "You forget yourself, lord. I may not be your Sultan but I am your rightful lord with my grandfather’s death. I will give you one chance to apologise for your outburst."

The old man looked deep into Harun’s cold eyes but didn’t back down. He turned to face the others and smiled. "Our lord is a dirty Kinslaying, sister-fucker." His words were sharp and full of disgust. Harun in one swift motion pulled his sword and struck his neck. The old head flew through the sky before landing on the floor. His body fell creating a loud bang, silencing the room.

Harun walked back up and put his sword away. Retaking his seat he looked at all those below. "Two things." His voice was cold, "My relationship with my sister is perfectly normal and I did not kill my niece. Any of you are free to think what you want, I am not Sol, and I will not force you to think a certain way, but if any of you dare to voice these disgusting rumours in my presence again, you won’t get the luxury of apologising."

Harun’s words got nods from all the men. He scanned them all and smiled. It had put life back into them, albeit in a way he wasn’t hoping to. Getting back onto topic he continued, "We all realise this battle is our final chance. General Mansa’s forces have been wiped out but I’m sure that man took down many with them. They are coming for us and whilst you all live in the past and act like children, our enemy is coming with one thought only, take the fort. The Grand Prince is coming with the attitude to finally destroy the Sultanate. I don’t care what feeling you have about me but you must all understand, somewhere under all that pity, this battle coming up will decide the war.

"If he can’t take the fort we have time to regroup, time to get support from the south." Harun’s voice was passionate and desperate. He didn’t care about his claim anymore at the moment. He just wanted to defend his home. He was like them. He knew how they felt. He blamed himself for so long after Ali’s death. But he knew that it was doing nothing. His sister had brought him back and it was his job to bring back his men.

"You." Harun pointed to a random lord. "Why do you sit in this room right now?"

The lord was confused by the question, "Because I am a lord, Your Highness." Harun nodded at the answer.

"And what is your job as lord?"

The lord thought about it. He had many answers but knew there was only one that made sense right now. "To protect the Sultanate."

"And you." Harun pointed to another. "What about you."

"The same your highness." The man answered getting a nod in reply. Harun asked a few more all giving the same answer. He had a wide smile on his face hearing it.

"You all seem to understand your jobs. You all know what must be done. Get a grip and prepare. In twenty minutes the war council is to meet me in the planning room." Harun got up from his seat leaving the hall.

The men looked at one another and finally saw each other’s expressions. It was a sad sight and they all knew that if they looked in a mirror they would see the exact same thing. They thought about Harun’s words and couldn’t help but agree that if Ali saw them he would think they were pathetic. They had lost their spark and now that the enemy was at their doorstep they had to reignite it.