I was escorted down in my ferrari to the gates, where I was allowed to pass through the gates and into the grassland beyond. Rapier stood there, sizing up the guards, which I would be lying if I told anyone I did not find it amusing, seeing such a short person size up a giant, even if the short person was going to win hands down. When Rapier noticed me there, he turned his attention away from Sam and walked towards me, getting within two metres before being stopped. He looked like he hadn't slept in days and was ready to kill me.
"The great King Astor, how lovely to see you again." Rapier's eyes didn't leave me, which made me want to laugh at the tough guy act. "My name is King Xana, and if you so much as say one thing during this story, I will kill you. After you left everything returned to normal. We all made our plans on how we were going to take back our kingdoms, then we split up, going our separate ways to deal with our own problems, while you didn't even notice. I took over the feeble man in a game of cards, where he bet away his kingdom to me. Voulge singlehandedly took down an army and slew the ruler of Warren. Guisarme simply assassinated her enemy, while Loch poisoned his. Katana beat his opponent in a one on one duel, Sling didn't even need to attack anyone, they died just before she arrived, and Raven simply won a debate and took the title off her's." I could tell he was annoyed, to the point where I was worried for my people's health and safety. "But Glaive has a problem, he is required to beat the usurper in a battle of wits, the same scenario as ever, one goblet is poisoned, the other one isn't. He needs your help to destroy the king before he has to drink from the goblet."
I started stalking him. "Why should I help any of you? You all left me and threw me out, I don't expect you to care, but know this, I am not taking my country to war over a petty problem that I no longer need to be a part of, go tell Glaive that if he wanted my help, he should have at least given me something that I could use as a bargain for this. While I know how to beat him, I will not tell you, King Xana, for the fact that you were just as much part of this as Glaive was. If you wanted my help, you should have thought about it before you kicked me out, before you all disowned me, before I was left to my own devices. You should have thought about that before you began treating me like dirt." My anger flared, which was the first time my men had seen me like this, and they were definitely scared of it. Rapier had a start, but quickly recovered from the attack to save himself from running, which was just as likely to happen.
"If I gave you the power to have your revenge on each of us in turn, would you help us?" He was desperate, it was obvious, he needed this more than anything.
"No Rapier, I will do this for you, don't expect me to do any more favours for any of you until I have written apologies from everyone, but I will help you, because that is supposedly what friends are for, so I don't know what to call you. I will find a way to make sure you make it up to me, one way or another, you will, and I will most definitely be there ready for it when it does happen." I loved my ways of asserting power, I now held all the cards, not Rapier, not Glaive, not anyone, me. I was going to make sure that no matter how much they tried to be kind and polite, that in no way were they going to be getting one up on me. I silently laughed to myself at how well it was going to work, that Rapier was at a lost end, if he tried to push something onto me, I would simply reject it, and I was too valuable to him at the moment for him to do that to me.
"Yes, yes I will do anything Knife, anything, I just need your help, we must march on that kingdom now! Or else we won't be able to beat him in time." Rapier was on the point of insanity, his eyes darted this way and that between the sky and myself, as if expecting something to attack us out of the sky, something big and large and powerful.
"Rapier, if you want me help, we do things my way. We will have no army, otherwise Glaive will look weak and appear to need the help of enemies to get him into power, no, we must be powerful and strong, but we can not fight Glaive's battles for him, it is just not the correct etiquette." I loved toying with Rapier, he was so funny when he got annoyed. His voice would become vibrato, and his entire body began to shake, like he was going to explode at a moment's notice.
"Then what do you expect us to do? We have to do something Braedon, it isn't fair otherwise. We have to do something to help Glaive, I promised him, there is no way I am going to let you simply let him die just because you are too shortsighted to get over trying to be smart, no one cares, what they care about is that you are willing to come and deal with this king before he deals with Glaive! Knife, you need to, otherwise he will die, there is no way Glaive can survive such a problem, he will most certainly die, and it will be on your conscience." He pointed an accusing finger at me, as if expecting me to retaliate.
"Rapier, you missed something important, again." I chided him. "I said we wouldn't attack the king, but if it's poison we are dealing with, there is always going to be an anti venom."
Rapier's face dropped, like a child that has just been told that Santa doesn't exist, which of course he does. "I should have thought of that," he mumbled, then looked at me. "I am losing my edge, Knife, I can't do that, without my edge, I am nothing. Glaive will be impressed though that you were able to work it out in the heat of an argument."
"To be fair with you Rapier, it wasn't much of an argument. It was more a heated talk than an actual argument. But go and contact Glaive, we need him to be able to administer the antidote. Unless he can somehow work out a way to do such a feat before the end of the time, which I highly doubt knowing Glaive." That made Rapier laugh, which was scary, I had never heard Rapier laugh before, to be fair I had never heard most of the group laugh before, apart from a few of them or all as a group. The hoarseness of Rapier's laugh made me cringe and want to hug him, but I decided not to, as he was really awkward when it came to contact and would probably judo flip me if I gave him half the chance.
Rapier rang Glaive, who arrived out the front an hour later, giving us time to set up science stuff and have scientists. Glaive had found out what the poison was called, so that made it even easier. The process took less than fifteen minutes to make, but they passed so slowly that everyone was. Finally it was completed, so we all sat and watched as Glaive gingerly took the flask and drank it, he made a sour face, but swallowed it down, and turning to me and giving his thanks, before driving off again, hopefully to go and become my new ally, or maybe not, but you can always live in hope. Rapier also said his thanks and headed off too, leaving me to the piece of my own land. I asked Sam to drive the car up and I walked up, everyone looked at me while I walked past, some people offered me a lift but I was so amazed by the streets to be able to leave them, so I thanked them for the offer but continued on my way. It was obvious when you reached the base of the mountain. The cobbles changed, becoming square and manufactured. As I continued up the houses became grander and larger, as the wealth grew, so did the houses. I reached the gates to the palace at 8pm and went straight to the bath, where I soaked for longer than I should have, as my fingers started to prune. I hopped out and changed into silk pajamas, with the same symbol of the rearing equine on it. I then turned over and tried to go to sleep, but I couldn't, the worry for Glaive kept me awake. I was so worried for him. What if the anti venom didn't work? What if they kill him anyway? I became so stressed by it that I went for a walk. I exited onto the balcony where Jackson and I had sat and had our conversation, now I was here by myself.
The wind picked up, and the trees swayed. It was a beautiful night. No clouds, just the half-moon that floated dreamily above me. I sat down and looked out over Sandros, over Sloce and hoped to see Graten, where Glaive would be right now, dead or alive, he would be there. There was no way that he could leave that place, not after all that he put himself through. I thought I could see him, but it was just a trick of the light, playing games with my mind, I was just staring at the plains of Sloce, which swayed as the wind swept through the grass. It was so peaceful out here, free from the pain of the rest of the world, where I could be free, free to imagine what I liked. Then I noticed it.
A guard stood down about 10 metres from me, looking blankly into empty space, just like how I had been doing, only he was shivering. He must of been cold. So in response I crept noiselessly down, crept across the grass and placed the blanket around him gently, which still made him jump, but not as much as a great big fright. When he saw who he was addressing he tried to make me take it back, but I said that he was more in need of it then I was. I watched as he draped it back over his shoulders, said his thanks softly, and went back to what he was doing, which I had no doubt was nothing really, but I couldn't just let him freeze to death out here. I walked slowly back to my room, where I found Jackson sobbing quietly out the front of my chambers. I was so startled by this I asked him what was wrong, he said that he had been given a nightmare by the sandman, and that must mean he is a bad child. I replied by saying that he wasn't but if he wanted to he could sleep on the couch in my room, which he quickly accepted and crawled on it and fell straight to sleep, the poor little child. I pulled yet another blanket over him and then finally turned to the bed again, which looked so inviting. I waited for a message from Glaive for a short period of time before I became too tired to bother checking. I put my phone down and put my head on the pillow, which was made of some of the finest goose down in the world, maybe even the best. There was no way I was going back to sleeping in the car, especially if I was helping people like this, even if I felt less helpful.