Eret sat quietly upon his throne, listening attentively to the scribe before him. From a stack of parchment papers, the villager read: "...and by the gods of this, our blessed world, I pray that you grant my request with a sense of urgency. My highest regards, His Royal Majesty, King Eret."
"Excellent, scribe," Eret praised. "You have done your work well. Please make the journey to President Tubbo of Snowchester at once."
"Yes, King Eret." The simple tradesman vacated the throne room, leaving the monarch alone with his thoughts.
His elbow firm against the armrest, the king rested his cheek in the palm of his hand. Tired, blue eyes stared out the stained glass windows opposite of him. Stretching from floor to ceiling, they allowed the warmth of a glorious sunset to pour into the space, lighting everything in a beautiful sea of colors. Between the two windows was a magnificent doorway held up by magnificent Corinthian-styled columns. A long, red carpet ran from said entrance down to the throne, connecting the king to his people.
It was in quiet moments like these where Eret would reflect on his time as a monarch. Ever since his coronation ceremony, he had tried to be the ruler the server so desperately needed. The numerous wars that had plagued the server had left many homeless and without basic necessities. His first act as ruler was one of reconstruction, both on a local and national level. When he wasn't defending his nation's borders, Eret was out rebuilding their infrastructure brick by brick.
He often told his people that community was the key to achieving hope, and he'd be damned if he ever sold his kingdom a lie. To ensure that all internal efforts were made to build up the SMP nation, Eret declared his country to be politically neutral. He would not indulge in the ongoing conflicts between the other powers on the server, nor did he have any interest in their wars; his first priority would always be the security of his own people. So, when Wilbur reached out to him for a meeting, Eret had been hesitant to say the least.
Before his rise to power, Eret had been but a simple townsperson. In the days of his youth, he had dreams to outgrow his life of poverty. He had ambitions to lead, to influence, to achieve. And when the first war broke out, Eret had his chance. At the time, Dream had been the server's monarch, and a fine one at that. He was gentle with his subjects, guiding them from afar and intervening only when necessary. It was sometime around L'Manberg's succession when Dream seemed to have snapped.
Wilbur and his band of misfits had broken away from Dream's rule, claiming they had formed an independent nation- Dream wasn't having it. Eret would never forget the day the server's monarch seeked him out as a confidant, asking him to spy on the British defectors- him, of all people. Eret was honored by the opportunity to prove himself, and quickly sealed his fate. He slipped into the ranks of L'Manberg, and gained Wilbur's trust. But, in the end, it was never meant to be.
Before the final battle, Eret had led Wilbur and the others to a secret, underground bunker on the premise of unveiling Dream's ultimate demise. The look on Wilbur's face was burned into Eret's memory forever as he opened the hidden door on the back wall. That sad, hopeless look of betrayal Wilbur had given him haunted the man's nightmares. Eret remembered Dream and his army storming into the room, only to slaughter the enemy moments later. Yes, Wilbur and his friends died that day, and Dream had made Eret king as his reward.
He would forever be known as a traitor by the ex-revolutionary, and he couldn't say he blamed him.
Is Eret a king to be trusted?? Why would Wilbur want to meet with him?? And why is Eret writing a letter to Tubbo??
Vote to make sure the letter reaches Snowchester!! :DD
And, as always, thank you so much for the reads and support. We got to 1.5k reads!!!! AAAAHHH!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!! Couldn't have done it without you. <333
[Image Credits] "Royal Throne" (Cropped Slightly) by David Stanley (https://www.flickr.com/photos/davidstanleytravel/43724136564)