Love, Distrust, and Fairy Dust

The Kings Challenge

When starting an Inquisition a King must have a cause and cast a powerful spell using his blood. The spell binds the soul to the book in terrible ways, the first is that you gain power from the past Inquisitor Kings. To do this a King must write his whole name so that none may mistake it. Second, he discards all titles he previously carried, and takes on new ones. The new titles must accurately illustrate the lengths one is willing to go to for his cause. If he carries out those deeds and still has not fulfilled his cause, his soul is lost to the book and he dies a slow painful death as the book leeches his life.

The other part of the spell requires a handprint in blood. It binds the kings deeds to the book and they are written in his blood whether from a container nearby or from him directly. The longer the inquisition, the more blood is needed. The more terrible the deeds, the more blood is taken. In this way, no king may deny the atrocities that he committed. This spell is required in order to counter balance the first part of the spell and the enchantments only take hold after both are cast.

A gasp caught in the Queen's throat when she read the title the King had claimed.

King Inquisitor Mordred of the house Hadrians, Defiler of Peace, Betrayer of Friends, Slayer of King Arthur the Just of the house of Branons.

"My Liege..." She couldn't turn her head away from the forbidding omen of his desperation. "You would start another war with the Branons? The Sylvan Knights would destroy us."

"Not us, me... " Mordred wiped away his tears with his bloody hand. "As King Inquisitor I am completely independent of my kingdom. If I need to, I can cross the borders alone, and only I need suffer."

The Queen approached him as she began putting together the pieces of Mordred's scheme. She reached for his hand and he jerked it away violently and looked away from her. She kneeled by his chair and placed her hands on the arm rest. "I know the law states that you must act hostile to me, but please look at me."

The King's shoulders loosened as he looked his wife in the eyes.

"We will get through this, I promise that our love is stronger than this, the one who enchanted our daughter will pay." She said.

The King's eyes softened, but before he could speak there was a knock on the door. The King Inquisitor turned a scowl to the door and flew from his chair over his desk as if his wife wasn't even in the room.

The door opened on its own by the Kings magic and one of the guards from before entered and saluted. "Your Majesty, the entire palace guard is gathered in the mess hall awaiting your instruction."

"Very well, I have some pent up energy and this will do just the trick." The King Inquisitor removed his suit jacket and tie. His black bracers stuck out against his white shirt as he began to roll up his sleeves.

"My Liege, are you planning to enact the Kings Challenge at this time of day?" The Queen was on her feet, but she didn't dare get too close to him with the guards standing in sight.

"Yes, the sooner the better. This is not a matter that can wait." The king never turned to look at his queen but didn't leave the room yet.

"Your armor, I could-" she was interrupted by the king.

"No! I will win no respect beating on boys while hiding in a suit of armor. Any damage I take I shall deserve for incompetence." The king began rolling up the second sleeve. He remember the look on Jacob's face, it was strong and cocky as he faced a foe that could destroy him. Would have destroyed him, and he would have meet death with a defiant smirk before he was disheartened. This image gave Mordred strength and his cheek twitched to mimic Jacob's.