The day Jonin was due to return, Harudan waited in the entrance hall for him. He was meant to be bringing books back for him, and Harudan had grown impatient waiting for them. He needed his answers. Going to the Sanctum had done nothing for him except anger him and give him more questions.
He'd asked for the crystal he'd taken to be placed in the room across from his office. For the long days since he'd arrived back in Ishmar, he'd spent most of his time in the room with the crystal or with his advisors. His plans were finally coming to fruition. The battle plans were coming together and most of the nobles had given him their armies.
Some hadn't. Those past the mountains didn't matter much to him; they were small and too far away. But those closer would be an issue, especially the one on the border. He couldn't have them undermining his rule. It could be that they preferred the way his father ruled, but that never resulted in anything. His father allowed them to be insulted and assassinated and did nothing about it aside from give empty threats.
Harudan was actually going to deal with the Askari. He would stop the threat of them attacking, stop the assassinations, stop the Askari people from living under the rule of someone who couldn't even look after them. He would help them, that was all he wanted. To do that, all he had to do was take control.
The Askari wouldn't appreciate it. It would be a long time before they understood that he only wanted good things for Vishera, but eventually, they would. Then they'd accept him as their rightful ruler, they'd realise that he was far better than Princess Sharina and anyone else in her family.
When it came to the Princess and her monk, all he could do was pray to his Gods that it didn't interrupt the war. For now, they were two separate things he had to deal with. Jonin would come back with the books he would need. He'd get answers on both the crystal and the monk, and then he could send someone to get Nerin back.
The Princess and the monk needed to be dealt with so that Nerin was safe and so that he could focus all of his energy on the coming war. Minisia's King still had not said a word and Harudan would make him pay for such disrespect. A proper battlefield hadn't been organised, which meant his advisors got to pick the best place for entrance to Minisia.
Ignis flew around the ceiling, letting out quiet roars. Harudan watched him with tired eyes and let out a loud sigh. The servants' door opened and a young face peered through the crack. For a second, he thought it was Nerin, then a voice snapped in the distance and the door slammed shut.
It was one of the children he'd taken from the Sanctum. Most of them had been put to work with the servants. Some, the most rebellious of the small group, had been placed in orphanages in the outskirts of the city. He didn't know what would happen to them, but he didn't care all that much, as long as they were alive. Children were innocent, they didn't deserve the violence of the world. If he'd taken enough time to think about his actions, he would have taken them from the Sanctum before he had everyone killed.
He didn't regret doing it, but he regretted letting the children see it. He never would have let Nerin see such violence and the children at the Sanctum were far younger than his baby brother. Although, Nerin had seen things anyway, despite Harudan's efforts, all because he was far too curious for his own good. Look where it got him.
But Harudan would get him back eventually. The children from the sanctum would learn to live with what had happened to them. He wasn't going to hurt them. He would have them be trained and able to work anywhere they needed to. None of them would be forced to forsake their Gods and if the time came, maybe even be allowed on a pilgrimage. He had a while to think things through seeing as the oldest was a year younger than Nerin.
Voices drifted away from the hall and Harudan leaned back against the wall. Snow fell outside, smothering the stone and grass. It covered every inch of the roofs and archways of the castle and if it wasn't for his powers, he would be shivering in the unheated room. For some reason, they'd never build fireplaces in the entrance hall, but it wasn't like it mattered. He was Ishini, he could deal with it.
People moved past the windows, guards he didn't know the names of. The sound of horse hooves against the stone reached his ears and he let out a sigh of relief. It had taken Jonin far too long to get back, but finally, he would have the answers he needed. If the crystal was something important, he may be able to use in the war. He may be able to wield the same power as the monk. The thought brought a smile to his face.
That smile dropped the second Jonin climbed from his horse. His clothing was stained with blood and there was a grim expression on his face. With a gasp, Harudan pushed the castle doors open and rushed for him, grabbing his wrist. Jonin almost seemed shocked that he was there, staring down at him with wide eyes.
"What happened?" Harudan asked, his voice soft. There weren't any other horses with him, no other guards. "Where is everyone else?"
"Dead," Jonin whispered, his voice raspy. "The laboratory was destroyed."
It took a second for the words to sink in. "What?" he roared. The others around them winced and shared wary looks. He tightened his grip on Jonin's wrist and looked to the nearest guard. "Get a doctor and bring them to my office."
Ignis tried to land on Jonin's shoulder as the pair walked down the halls of the palace, but the guard captain shooed him off with a pained grunt. The drake chirped angrily and settled for hovering in the air above them instead. How long had Jonin been travelling with his injuries? Had he even treated them? The most obvious one was the hole in his shoulders, but there were small cuts on his face and arms.
Harudan stopped in the middle of the hall. He'd told the guards that they would be in his office, but part of him wanted to take Jonin to the crystal, to show him exactly what his brutality at the Sanctum had gotten them. But it would have to wait. The first time he had properly seen Jonin since he'd sent him to get Nerin and the man was injured. It needed to be dealt with.
According to Jonin, it wasn't going to be. The laboratory had been destroyed, that was what he'd said. But how? All they were supposed to do was escort Turian back to his home and gather the books they needed. It shouldn't have been that hard and yet, any chance at answers was gone.
With an irritated sigh, he pulled the injured man into his office and sat him down at the desk. "Please tell me you at least treated the wounds," he said and ran a hand through his dark hair.
"Of course," Jonin replied and shrugged off his shirt. Bandages had been slapped roughly over the wound and the skin around it was clean of blood. The stains on his shirt were old and dried, meaning the injury had stopped bleeding a while ago; a good sign.
Harudan resisted touching it, not wanting to hurt him more. Ignis, the annoying drake that he was, landed on the desk and growled loudly until Jonin reached over to pat him. He shared a look with Harudan, a frown on his face. "What happened?" Harudan asked, planting a hand on his knee.
The knight sighed and ran his good hand down his face. "Nerin was there when we got there. I think he was practising sword fighting," he muttered. Harudan wrinkled his nose; Nerin had never been interested in fighting. What had changed? "I thought it was just him, but the Princess and the monk were there as well, with your uncle's apprentice, whatever his name was."
"Emrick," Harudan replied with a sneer. His uncle's apprentice had never been polite company.
Jonin waved him away. "Doesn't matter. He was working with the Princess. I don't know how long they were there, but they were able to convince him to side with them. He tried to stop us from getting them." He shook his head. "I didn't realise how good of a fighter he was. Killed two of my people while I chased after the monk. Turian tried to stop me from getting to his apprentice."
"Did you... Is he...?"
"I had to kill him," Jonin said, eyes on the floor. "Harudan, I'm sorry, I-"
"It doesn't matter."
"What?"
Harudan gripped his knee tighter as the door opened. "It doesn't matter. I don't think he would have sided with me after what I did at the Sanctum. It was a mistake to let him see it," he told him and gestured for the doctor to come around. "He wouldn't have given me the answers I sought." It was the truth, but the fact that yet another part of his family was gone did hurt. All he truly had left was Nerin.
Jonin winced when the doctor took off the bandages and surveyed the wound. "I almost had the Princess. I was about to kill her, but that damn halfling got me in the shoulder," he said through gritted teeth. "The monk still had his powers, but he didn't use them much. I think he was scared, I don't know. He set the laboratory on fire and they all escaped on a boat heading north. All my people were killed."
The King cursed and slammed his fist down on the table, startling both the doctor and Ignis. He knew nothing about what the monk was or the crystal that sat across the hall, heating up the entire top floor of the castle. "Gods, what am I supposed to do?" he asked, more to himself than Jonin.
"I can go north once my shoulder is healed. If I bring the dogs again, I don't think it will be too hard to find him," Jonin said as the doctor tended to his wounds.
Harudan shook his head. "No, you need to stay here," he replied. "I can send out other search parties."
A hand grabbed his wrist. "But... Harudan, I told you I would get your brother back. Anything you want, I will do. I promised you that long ago," Jonin said, his usually stone-like face going soft.
"Yes, and there are more important things here, Jonin. There will be a war soon and I need you with me," he replied. "Nerin will come back to us, but for now I have to focus on this war. And so do you."
Jonin went to reply, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, when there was a knock on the door. A servant poked their head through the door and Harudan resisted the urge to snap at them. "Raven for you, your Majesty. The Keeper says it's important," they mumbled and ducked from the room as quickly as they came in.
Harudan sighed and ran a hand through his hair again, staring at Jonin. "I'll be back in a minute," he muttered and leaned up to press a light kiss to the other man's cheek. "Stay here, I need you."
He closed the door quietly as he left, leaving Jonin to be treated by the silent doctor. He eyed the door across the hall with a frown. He still had no idea what it was and the one person who might have answers was now dead, his laboratory destroyed. But it was fine, he would find the answers on his own.
When he made it down to the raven tower, the woman stared at him with wide eyes. He didn't say a word, just held out his hand for the note. He needed to get back to Jonin, to explain what he wanted. There was no way he could send the knight out again just to get killed by a man who wielded flames, not without knowing how to fight against it.
Jonin would easily be able to take out Emrick and the Princess, it was the monk they had to be worried about. Besides, the first attack on Minisia would happen soon and Harudan needed to visit his armies beforehand. He wasn't going to do that without protection and the best protection was Jonin.
While he wanted Nerin back, he wasn't going to sacrifice someone unnecessarily. Hopefully, the Princess would keep him alive long enough for them to find a way to fight against the monk and track them down. He couldn't find a reason for them to kill him. All he could do was pray that they didn't decide to use him as a bargaining chip.
The raven keeper handed him the note with a shaking hand and he almost gasped at the sight of Minisia's seal on it. He didn't wait a second before breaking it and unrolling the scroll. He smirked at the words, relief flooding through him. There would be war, no merciless attacking, but organised battlefields and minimal deaths. The King of Minisia had finally agreed.
His Majesty, King Harudan Oshana of Brenmar,
Minisia apologises for the violence caused, we wished for peace and a treaty, but we accept your declaration of war nonetheless. Our armies are waiting. Respond with the details of the field of battle and we will discuss.
We hope for this to be short, your Majesty. But we must ask if you have the Princess Sharina Nashinaron, send her back to Ziya where she will be punished accordingly. It seems only fair for her to be with her people in the time of war.
Awaiting your reply,
His Majesty, King Ouron Nashinaron of Minisia
END BOOK ONE
A.N: So that's the end of book one! Book two will be posted in a minute with just the blurb so you guys can add it to your library for updates and it will start properly next monday. I hope you guys are enjoying this so far <3
If you want to be ahead, my patreon is already ten chapters ahead, link is on my profile