Equilibrium

Please, Tarah...No

Larke, 1182

I took my old post as primary Kingsguard, the honor given to the High Suryan Premiere. I stood quietly in the background of the throne room; the King and the Queen sat stiffly on their paired thrones, me standing watch behind them. The atmosphere was tense; news had just been delivered via a guard watching the palace's outer gates that the rebel army had massed and was heading this way.

I snuck a glance at Princess Nya, perched on her throne a step below her parents. Outwardly, she looked calm and unruffled, but I knew her enough from my years at the palace that I could see the slight signs of fear. Her fingers clutched the arm of her throne tightly, knuckles turning white. From a distance, you couldn't tell; her face held nothing but serenity and calm. If Princess Nya was afraid... then that boded poorly for the royal family. She was the most courageous person I knew.

Did she know what was coming this way? I instinctively felt the calm before the storm, tension rising in the air, the silence building in intensity it felt almost loud. Nothing about this sounded good. I knew Dean and The Raven well enough to know that they would hit the palace with the best weapons they had – which were powerful illusions. It could be anything, and we had nothing to stop them.

I had briefed the King on everything I knew. I had been drafted into this war long ago, when the King stole me from my family to become a Suryan Mage. The royal family was all I had, despite how much I resented them for that very reason. I shuffled my feet, uncomfortable with the nagging thought that I had chosen the wrong side.

I glanced to my other side to Spenser, who had been honored with a position at court for his information that he had provided the King, in tandem with my mission. He exchanged looks with me, and I knew that he was just as concerned as I was about what was coming to us. His vibrant eyes were bright with worry; I could practically see the thoughts behind his head – he was likely scheming something; how typical.

Suddenly, a servant came rushing into the throne room, panting, his face red. He gasped out, "Sire! Sire! The rebel army has breached the walls!"

The King sat calmly on his throne, unperturbed.

"I highly doubt that," he chuckled, a smile on his face.

And he had reason to doubt it. The walls hadn't been breached in a thousand years, and he personally made sure that the rebel's sabotage attempt had failed. I'd informed them of it.

This castle was built for siege, and Zante had prepared for it. It was his only option, as a large portion of his army was off in another continent at the moment, attempting to conquer more and more in the name of the throne. We were left with minimal forces to defend ourselves, and all of those forces were waiting in the courtyard, eager to destroy the rebel army should they even get through. But it sounds as if those in the courtyard would get their chance.

I feared for the Suryan Mages that were posted out there, as most of them were only recruits, with a few higher ranking mages, but still none higher than the third rank. This battle could not have come at a worse time for Zante Urion. Those recruits had little to no battle experience, and only a few had decent control over their powers. It was a small measure of comfort to know that Liss was on the other side of the battlefield and not in the midst of what could become a bloodbath.

The servant doubled over, coughing from his extreme exertion. "No, your grace, the rebels have brought down the walls. They're marching here this very second!"

The King sat up in his throne, and I felt unnerved. This was serious. What was happening?

"Your grace, I beg of you, take cover! They will be at the palace doors any minute!"