How To Rule ✅COMPLETE

The Choice

The more time Tenen spent in the throne room the angrier he got. Memories of the tyrant King's despicable acts kept haunting him. One memory especially kept coming to mind.

Of mutilated corpses.

Of rebel's that he had killed personally. Among them, one belonging to a man he had considered a second father.

He did not realise he had been squeezing Rin's hand too hard till she placed her other hand on their joined hands. He relaxed his hand almost immediately and almost pulled away but she did not let him. Her hand held his even more firmly and his mind was once again filled with only her till he spoke.

'Stay Tenen and check out the gardens, I hear they are beautiful this time of year. I have business to attend to.'

Rin was confused. Her father was acting too calm for her not to be warry. He was upto something and as he walked away to God knows where she knew trouble was brewing just on the surface ready to spill over.

Tenen had not liked how the mad King had said his name as if he was dirt under his shoes, a mere nuisance that he could not get rid of fast enough. It angered him but he could do nothing with Rin standing next to him.

Arion knew his daughter would not be happy with his decisions but she would understand. Throughout the time the spymaster stood before him a diabolical plan had formed slowly in his mind and he could not resist carrying it out. He was certain the Rebel's defences were down. It was the perfect opportunity to strike and finish them once and for all. They would think him having ceased fire since his daughter was mated to one of them a move he planned on exploiting. This was the perfect opportunity to strike.

Rin looked up at Tenen and even though it had been her father's idea she really wanted to show him the gardens outside. The flowers were in full bloom and it looked magical. She half hoped that he would kiss her in-between the rows and rows of flowers so each time she looked at them from her bedroom window she would remember that memory and all the emotions she felt but alas it was to remain just a wish. They had barely made it a foot into the garden when a soldier covered in blood materialized before them blocking their path and ending their walk before it even begun.

'Sir, we're under attack'

Rin watched as the soldier collapsed and not a second more Tenen disappeared. He did not even say goodbye. Something had to have gone wrong at his camp. She knew in war there was no such thing as goodbyes so she hardly faulted him but it did not mean she did not worry. Was her father behind the attack? She couldn't be certain but as the pit in her stomach grew she knew he had done what he did best.

Struck his enemies when they least expected it.

Tenen had received the message barely in time. The soldier had only said a few words but they had shocked him to his core. He did not know what to expect when he materialized at camp but it was definitely not his fellow men fighting off no other than Arion, the mad king.

Rowan was relieved when he saw Tenen arrive. He though was not their master strategist was very knowledgeable in war. A feat he had gained from his cruel father. He would have thanked the man had he not hated him for what he had done to Tenen. The soldier that accompanied the mad king were excellent warriors and that coupled with the element of surprise he knew it was a matter of of time before the were overwhelmed. When he made eye contact with Tenen he understood the head tilt towards the mad king. Tenen wanted to carry out a play they had only studied but never executed.

Get rid of the commander and his solders will follow suit.

Callum watched his two best friends share the look and he knew what must be done. Grabbing Tenen's sword he chucked it towards him and started clearing the path towards the mad king for Tenen. His solders were not easy to defeat or easily attacked, their defences were top notch but he was bred for war so it did not take him long to single out the tyrant king who he let Tenen deal with as he focused on the other soldiers.

Tenen focused on the feel of the handle of his sword in his hand. It was perfect for his weight that it did not drag him down yet was strong enough to cut through human flesh. He did not have any armor on but there was no time. He needed to defend his people.

Arion blocked the spymaster's blow, their swords slamming together, the metal ringing out echoing in his ear. His appearance had been a shock since he was supposed to be with his daughter somewhere in the palace. No matter, he would hardly interfear with the end goal. Arion knew all he had to do was knock the poor boy out cold and his plan could continue to its goal;

Wiping out the resistance.

But it was harder said than done. The boy knew his way around a sword and though he would never admit it he was impressed by Tenen's swordsmanship.

As their swords clashed for the fifth time nearly sending Tenen back a few feet, he realised Arion was doing more of defending than actually attacking him. Did Arion have no intention of harming him? There was only one way to find out. He retreated then in a surprise attack advanced on Arion his sword arm stretched foward; feigning an attack on his shin he aimed for Arion left side instead. Tenen knew if Arion was indeed not deflecting all his attacks he would aim for his right side which he had left exposed on purpose.

Arion watched as Tenen brought his sword down to his shin but at the last moment changed momentum aiming for his side, too late that he could not deflect it. He had focused so much on not hurting the spymaster that he had failed to see the sword aiming for his abdomen and by the time he noticed it was too late to stop it. It plunged into his side the blow so brutal it caused him to drop his own sword to clutch at his side.

Tenen knew he had made an unforgivable mistake when Arion crumbled to the floor  the sword in his hand dripping blood on the floor.

Her father's blood.

She would not forgive him for wounding her father