Chapter 248: Breaking Point

"Morning, William." Charles walked into the small council room, taking his seat. The old General looked towards his friend and softly smiled. "Is it true? What the servants saying?"

William sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Yeah. I saw them, Charles. There’s no mistaking it; they’re Alfred’s."

"Fuck." Charles quietly whispered under his breath. He remembered all the conversations about the topic in the past, wondering what would happen if Helga did come with a bastard. But now that it actually happened, he couldn’t figure out what to do. "It needs to be dealt with."

"Impossible for now." Charles looked at William in confusion, and the old general wryly smiled. "Esmond is guarding them until Alfred gives an order. If he wishes them gone, I don’t doubt Esmond will carry it out, but for now, they can’t be touched."

"And the Empress?"

"Don’t start. Me and Esmond have been shutting down rumours that are spreading, but she did try to kill them in their sleep." Charles blew out a breath of air and clicked his tongue.

"Why did this have to happen now? Things were going so well." William shrugged, and the two looked at one another with exhausted eyes. "Anyway, to call us, Issac and Esmond here. It means he’s going to make a move against the church now."

"It feels too early. I saw him in that throne room. Part of me thinks he’s just lashing out."

"Even if he is, it’s still calculated. He could have done it in much worse ways, William; we both know this. I mean, he killed a man with his bare hands when Chris died."

"I don’t know. Is he even ready on his front? It’s not a change that can happen in an instant." Charles thinly smiled at William’s scepticism. It wasn’t as if William was alone in thinking that.

"We just have to have faith. He hasn’t yet."

"Yeah. You’re right." The door opened once more, and Issac and Esmond walked in. Issac had a wide smile on his face, looking at his father and Charles whilst Esmond went straight to his seat and closed his eyes, resting.

"Father, Charles." Issac sat next to William, but his face twitched when he saw their mood.

"Don’t be so happy when His Majesty arrives," William warned his son quietly, with the young man nodding and wiping the smile off his face.

"I guess this is about the news that has been spreading in the Palace." As if on cue, Alfred walked in, taking a seat at the head of the table. He didn’t give his usual polite greeting and looked at the men with cold eyes.

"The situation with the church has gone on for too long now." Alfred went straight into business, with the four men leaning in closer. "Are you three ready?" Esmond, Charles, and William nodded in sync, causing Alfred to smile lightly.

"Good. Execute your orders immediately. We have our targets. I don’t want them leaving the country." Alfred turned to Issac next. "How have the preparations for the new church coming."

"We have the clergy who are ready to switch. Adrian has done a good job persuading those in the Safrid lands whilst I have everything ready in the old territories. The only problem is the upper echelons of the church and the new doctrine. We can have as many people as we want willing to switch, but without something to preach, it will fall through very quickly."

"I understand." Alfred rubbed the bridge between his eyes, falling into thought. "Okay. For the upper echelons, I have a couple of people who are prepared. That priest Gregor. Due to the events in Nakhla, he had a crisis of faith. I offered him the job as a way to help people, and he accepted. I have a sister of Gaia ready aswell. As for the rest, find some and report to me. I’ll write off on any I accept. Have Esmond help with background checks, as for doctrine. I have some of it ready. I’ll begin a mass publication of it soon. For now, just do as I have ordered."

Issac nodded, and Alfred stood up, having said his piece. William quickly followed behind, running over to Alfred. Leaning to his ear, he spoke so only the two could hear. "Your Majesty. Are you sure about this? Are we not too early."

Alfred frowned and shook his head. "It’s fine, William. I’m perfectly fine, can’t you see that?" Despite his words, it sounded like he was lying to himself when speaking. But William didn’t push, taking a step back and nodding. "All of you leave. I need to speak with Esmond."

The three men didn’t hesitate to rush out, leaving Alfred with the old man. "Why did you do it?" His voice carried a hint of sadness when asking Esmond.

The old man took a deep breath and stood up. "He is a valuable asset, Your Majesty. I simply believe his death would be a waste." Esmond didn’t try to act stupid and answered honestly. Alfred clenched his fists, bitterly chuckling.

"I don’t care. He’s a snake. You, of all people, should know that. Why trust him? Why not kill him and be done with it."

"Your Majesty. He is easy to use. I thought about it. Why would a man who hid himself well come out of hiding so easily? At first, I thought it was because that woman came back. Maybe he loved her. But that wasn’t the case. So why did he come back?" Alfred looked at Esmond, his fist unclenching. "I believe he came back for you, and this was the chance he had found. He could have finished his time in the university and worked his way up, but this was quicker."

"And why would he want me?" Alfred scoffed. "I hate him. He knows this. He knows I would never trust him."

"That I can’t answer, Your Majesty. But I will find out. Unless you wish for him to return." Esmond looked at Alfred and watched the man leaning against the table. His fingers bounced whilst his eyes darted all over the room.

"What the point?" Alfred sighed. It was an unexpected answer for Esmond, who believed Alfred wouldn’t miss the chance to take revenge. He had never failed to do so before. "I mean, he isn’t the one I wanted to kill myself. I was even thinking of letting him live after I killed that bitch. Maybe some part of me believes the story he told. I don’t know."

"I understand, Your Majesty."

Alfred smiled and pushed himself up. Walking before Esmond, his smile fell, and his eyes went sharp. "I don’t care if you act independently for the Empire, Esmond. But there is no next time. Never do something like this again. Make his life a living hell whilst you train him." Alfred turned and walked away, leaving the old man alone.

Watching his back, Esmond bowed. "I understand, Your Majesty."

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Walking through the place halls, Alfred’s eyes landed on the children’s room. His feet froze, and looking at the door, his heart rate increased. It was something he would have to face eventually. Gulping, he steeled himself and walked in.

Violette sprung up as did Frida. Seeing it was Alfred, Violette quickly fell to her knee, bowing, whilst Frida hurriedly did the same. "Your Majesty," Violette spoke full of respect, but following his eye line, he could see that his eyes only looked at Frida. "Esmond told us to await your orders on how to deal with her. He said she was a non-combatant and most likely the children’s nanny."

Flipping his finger towards Violette, he let her rise and walked in front of Frida. The woman shook slightly from Alfred’s presence. She could still vividly remember this crazed moment in the throne room, how he carved Helga’s corpse, how no one moved to stop him.

"Get up," Alfred spoke in her native language. It surprised Frida every time she heard it, but she quickly followed the order, not wishing to anger Alfred. "Who are you? You don’t seem like the people that woman would keep around."

"I-I- I am Frida Svendottier. Daughter of Jarl Sven."

"That’s not what I mean." Alfred’s eyes squinted dangerously. "I mean, who are you in relation to these children."

Frida gulped. She wanted to cry. She didn’t even want to come to this land. She wished she could go home. She wished she listened to Brede. While the new world looked amazing, she had never felt so scared or alone in her life. Her eyes darted to the children for a second.’I must protect them at least.’Taking a deep breath, she looked into Alfred’s eyes.

"I am the one who protects them." Her tone surprised Alfred, speaking with a deep conviction. Despite her words, however, Alfred could see her shaking.

"How?"

"I was the one who saved them from being killed. I left my home to make sure they were safe. No one else did." To her words, Alfred only gave a small nod and walked over to the crib. His eyes went empty looking at the twin babies.

One looked like him, and the other looked like Helga. He felt sick but forced his hand down. He lowered his hand to his daughter and reached for her neck. It was slow, and his hand shook, but his hand eventually touched. ’It’s so thin,’ he said.

It was all he could think of as his hand tightened. A single tear fell from his eye, landing on Astrid, waking the small girl. Her tired eyes looked at Alfred, and he looked back. He could see the innocents in those eyes. Her eyes grew brighter as she woke up more, and once she realised her surroundings, a bright smile spread on the baby’s face as she reached out and grabbed the hand around her neck.

"Oh God." With a shaky voice, Alfred pulled back his hand and looked down at it. "What am I doing?" He quickly ran out of the room, ignoring the two and collapsed into the wall. Grabbing his face, his breathing was heavy, and his heart felt like it would burst out of his chest.

’I am a monster.’His head went light. Stumbling, he caught himself on the wall. He tried his best to keep himself standing, but his body gave out. His vision went dark, collapsing onto the floor.