The Rightful King

Scott | 038

            "You did what?" Robbie asked, green eyes wide from disbelief. Or shock. Maybe both.

Regardless, it made Scott shift in his chair uncomfortably. He wasn't used to Robbie looking at him owlishly, lips starting to frown as he soaked in the information that Allen had just spilled.

Allen stabbed his eggs with his fork, "King Scott bombed some factories in Lockmere."

"No, I got that," Robbie sent the Alpha a withering glare, "I meant why?"

"To rid Lockmere of building their own weapons. Without Othebia's support, and no way to process their own, they'll have no choice but to surrender." Scott took a sip of his tea. It was lavender and chamomile, not his favorite, but he was glad he hadn't asked for coffee today. He still didn't like the stuff, no matter how much sugar and cream he dumped into it, somehow the bitter taste still lingered. Tea was much more tolerable though; a spoonful of honey always sweetened the tea without becoming overwhelming.

"That seems..." Robbie's brows furrowed. He picked at the roll in his hands, ripping off chunks without actually eating it, "Were there any casualties?"

"...Yes."

"How many?"

"I haven't gotten the reports back yet, but we expected there to be about a hundred workers in total from the three locations."

Robbie's roll fell to his plate with a little thump, "A hundred... employees? Like... like people who weren't in the military."

"Civilians. And yes, they were."

"Please tell me you're fucking with me."

"Robbie-" He reached over to take the younger's hand, but Robbie stood up abruptly, moving out of reach.

"No, no that's like, wow. I don't even know what to say." He took a shaky breath, "You authorized to kill a bunch of people who were working?"

"It had to go through my council and the general's top men as well." Scott said, "I can see that you're upset, but sometimes these sorts of sacrifices need to be made-"

"Is that what you were upset about last night? Straight up murdering innocent people isn't a sacrifice." Robbie bit out, then paused, as if realizing the implications of what he'd just said.

Allen, who had been watching their interaction quietly, spoke up, "Maybe we should take some time o calm down, and come back to this topic later, when we've had time to think about what we want to say."

Robbie swallowed, nodding silently before turning on his heel and leaving the dining room without another word. Allen turned toward him, a worried little frown on his face. "You okay?"

Scott shrugged, sipping at his tea despite the lump in his throat, "It's not as though he's wrong."

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Lockmere's official notice of surrender arrived but three days later. Coincidentally, that was the last time Robbie had spoken to Scott.

In general Robbie didn't seem interested in the decisions that Scott made for the kingdom, didn't care about the politics or the nature of his position. It was refreshing to have someone who he could relax around, someone who wouldn't ask a bunch of questions, who wouldn't give him their pointless opinions on his choices. Still, he couldn't understand why Robbie was so upset about this particular incident. When he had sent troops to support Guitia and fight off the invading Lockmerean military, he hadn't batted an eye.